Gerard H. Meulensteen

Gerard H. Meulensteen, the Dutch entrepreneur, art collector, and patron of the arts, was born on February 5, 1943 in Eindhoven and passed away on January 22, 2026. He is survived by his wife Riky, and their children Annelie and Edwin.

In 1969, he founded Neways Electronics International N.V., an electronics company operating in many countries around the world. Until 2000, he also served as Chairman of the World Trade Center in Eindhoven and several other prominent companies.

From 1994 to 2009, he financed the activities of the Yellow House of Vincent van Gogh in Poprad, whose direct continuation became the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum in Bratislava–Čunovo, which he also financed, and was opened on September 9, 2000. This modern art museum, founded at the beginning of the new millennium, is still the only cultural activity of its kind in the countries of the former Eastern Bloc. In addition to financing the construction of the museum, he selflessly financed its activities until 2012, when, out of admiration for our country, he donated his museum to Slovakia and its artists.

He initiated and financed the establishment of the Meulensteen Art Centre at the Eindhoven University of Technology, which was opened on March 24, 2001. During its operation, the centre offered artists from all over the world the opportunity to work and create in its graphic, painting, and sculpture studios. Until 2001, he was Chairman of the Emmasingel Foundation and for more than twenty years he was a major sponsor of the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven.

The range of his art collection, built over the last 30 years, consists of remarkable works by world-renowned, European, and Slovak visual artists. The collection includes works by Sam Francis, Karel Appel, Walasse Ting, Pierre Alechinsky, as well as Slovak artists Jozef Jankovič, Peter Pollág, and Milan Lukáč.

For his cultural activities, he was awarded the Order of Orange–Nassau by the Queen of the Netherlands in 1994. In 2003, he received the Medal of the President of the Slovak Republic, and in 2005 he was awarded the title Honorary Citizen of the Bratislava Region. In the same year, King Juan Carlos I of Spain awarded him the Cross of the Order of Civil Merit, and in 2007 the Hungarian Ministry of Culture honored him with the Pro Cultura Hungarica award. Upon the proposal of the Government of the Slovak Republic, he was awarded the Order of the White Double Cross of the Slovak Republic. In 2016, he received the Award of the Minister of Culture of the Slovak Republic.

From 2004, he represented the Slovak Republic in the Netherlands as Honorary Consul. He also initiated the project to complete the extension of the Danubiana Museum, which he actively managed from 2013 onward.

In the past, he served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the non-profit organization DANUBIANA – Centre of Modern Art. In addition to presenting Slovak visual art abroad, his activities focused primarily on publishing books and catalogues about artists and exhibitions held at the Danubiana Museum.

The activities of Gerard Meulensteen and his promotion of art, especially in the countries of Eastern Europe, will surely be appreciated by future generations of artists and art lovers.

Gerard H. Meulensteen died on January 22, 2026 in Son en Breugel near Eindhoven.

His heart shall forever remain in the Danubiana.

Honor to his memory.