Gershwin Bonevacia
Would I want this on my wall? It is one of the questions Gershwin Bonevacia asks himself as he explores PAN. The poet, writer, musician, podcaster and theatre maker was awarded the Gouden Ganzenveer in 2026 for his sensitive use of language and his ability to give voice to human vulnerability. Having recently begun collecting art himself, he joins us for a walk around the fair.

Gershwin gravitates towards paintings: works that move him through colour, evoke a particular mood or tell a story in which he recognises something of himself. Sometimes, that sense of connection comes before he can put it into words.

Object 1 – Borzo Gallery – stand 36
At Borzo Gallery, he stops in front of an abstract painting by Armando. Its stillness speaks to something he understands as a writer: the power of leaving things out, of saying a great deal with very little while leaving room for the imagination. There is something mysterious and dreamlike about the work, an image to lose yourself in and find your own meaning.

Object 2 – Brandt Gallery – stand 31
Further along, colour catches his eye. At Brandt Gallery, he is drawn to Jan Kuhlemeier’s vibrant Tidal Shift V and Tidal Shift II (2026). “What feels bold at first becomes softer the longer you look.” Working with pigments and gel mediums, Kuhlemeier creates shifts between smooth, fluid surfaces and grainy textures. These contrasts reward closer attention: beneath the almost neon glow, Gershwin discovers more subtle layers. It reminds him of his own poetry, in which words can reveal new meanings each time they are read.

Object 3 – ROOF-A – stand 110
A red-roofed house amid lush greenery, palms lining the water and reflections beneath a turquoise sky: Hans Broek’s Frederiksdorp (2024), an oil painting on linen at ROOF-A, gives Gershwin a feeling of home. For him, that means Curaçao. Although the painting depicts somewhere else, the tropical vegetation, low buildings and languid heat feel familiar. There is a scorching intensity to the unusual colours, tempered by the still water and the sheltered position of the house.

Object 4 – Contour Gallery – stand 47
At Contour Gallery, The Shadowed People by Saïdou Dicko makes him pause: a Black figure set against an open, joyful landscape that suggests a sense of freedom. His affinity with the artist adds another dimension to his connection with the work.

Object 5 – Kunsthandel Meijer – stand 19
Andy Warhol’s iconic Muhammad Ali (1978), at Kunsthandel Meijer, is a particular favourite. The series comprises four screenprints, each roughly a metre high and three-quarters of a metre wide. Gershwin admires Ali’s life story and the values he stood for. “I love finding something of myself in a work of art. Muhammad Ali inspires me, both for who he was and what he stood for. Here, that comes together with Warhol’s unmistakable style. And seeing the portrait in four versions makes each one more powerful.”
From the quiet intensity of Armando to Warhol’s bold portraits, Gershwin’s choices reveal the many different ways a work of art can make you want to live with it.

 

Maya Meijer-Bergmans
Maya sets out to explore PAN with an art historian’s eye. But among the thousands of artworks, her personal taste soon takes the lead. A colour, a composition or an unexpected shape catches her attention. Ultimately, Maya believes, art has to move you. Art has been a constant thread throughout her life. She studied art history, was involved in Den Haag Sculptuur and, together with her husband Ton Meijer, transformed the Westergasfabriek into a cultural meeting place. Since 2017, they have been shaping the future of Paleis Soestdijk. They have been collecting art for fifty years, guided by eclectic tastes.

As she visits both familiar galleries and new discoveries, Maya gravitates towards works with character: distinctive, intriguing and full of surprises. From abstract art to curiosities, colour and composition connect her choices, with plenty of room for the unexpected.

Object 1 – Newhouse Gallery - stand 34
As we pass Kym Ellery’s Love Seat You and Me at Newhouse Gallery (stand 34), Maya immediately pictures it in a spacious room, its sculptural form taking centre stage, with room for her and her husband to sit together. The idea of an artwork that also creates a place to connect appeals to her. Sitting, looking, talking: the title already seems to fulfil its promise. Learning that the gallery is run by a young Amsterdam gallerist seals the deal. Maya enjoys looking beyond the established names and is keen to support a new generation of artists and gallerists.

Object 2 – Gallery SEPT (Walls & Cabinets, G)
It is clear that Maya has spent a lifetime looking at art. Yet even after fifty years of collecting, discovery remains a large part of the pleasure. That curiosity draws her into conversation with the young Brussels gallerists behind SEPT (Walls & Cabinets, G), another gallery beyond the established circuit. Exhibiting at PAN for the first time, they enthusiastically introduce the works they have brought to Amsterdam. A piece by Sebastiaan Knot catches her eye: its light and proportions draw her gaze towards the centre of the abstract composition. This, too, earns a place on her list.

Object 3 – Studio 2000 - stand 16 
Maya recognises the Sluijters from a distance as we approach Studio 2000 (stand 16). She owns a floral still life by the artist, but this self portrait from 1915 surprises her. She admires its beautiful colours and finds the composition more adventurous and contemporary than much of his work she knows. It reveals an unexpected side to a familiar artist, earning it a place among her favourites.

Object 4 – Jaski Gallery - stand 39
Maya has a soft spot for the unexpected, especially curiosities. At Jaski Gallery (stand 39), we find one that immediately appeals to her: a taxidermy animal curled into a spherical shape, suspended from the ceiling. She can readily imagine hanging the object entitled Le Moment de Réflexion by Les Deux Garçons beside her desk. In this unusual form, the animal seems both strange and oddly companionable. Maya admires the craftsmanship, but it is the incongruity that draws her in. “I secretly love things that defy the rules—or seem impossible,” she says.

Object 5 – Etienne Gallery - stand 123 
Maya is not usually drawn to blue, nor is she particularly fond of glass. Yet this male torso on view by Erik Kierkels at Etienne Gallerie (stand 123) makes her stop. “A powerful male torso is always beautiful to look at,” she says. Its form recalls classical Greek sculpture, while its execution places it firmly in the present. “It’s almost like an Yves Klein in glass, that blue,” she remarks. Here, she readily sets her usual preferences aside. Sometimes, a work wins you over with the very thing you thought was not for you.
 

Rob de Wijk
De Wijk is the founder of The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS) and professor of International Relations and Security at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs at Leiden University. He has several books to his name, and the podcast Boekestijn & De Wijk is one of the most listened-to podcasts in the Netherlands.

During his tour of the fair, Rob let himself be guided mainly by his personal taste and that of his wife Dorien. With a carefully selected list of exhibitors he wanted to visit, his preference went mainly to modern and abstract works. He says of himself that he makes decisions well and quickly, which was clearly noticeable during the tour of the fair. “We either like it or we don’t,” Rob was either drawn to a work or not, and chose based on the feeling a work evoked in him.

Object 1 – Contempo Galerie – Stand 59
Cole Morgan, Night House, 1991, mixed media on canvas
“This work is beautiful in all its simplicity.” Rob’s gaze was immediately drawn to the figure in the center. He found the structure of the work, and the way the blue background has been scratched and worked, to give it an intriguing appearance.

Object 2 – Galerie Fontana – Stand 76
Marchand & Meffre, Les Ruines de Paris, Piano, 2024, chromogenic print, mounted to Dibond and framed with art glass
This photograph evoked a sense of recognition in Rob. He is also active in photography himself: “when I take photos myself, I try to photograph terrible things in a beautiful way.” Rob felt that much about this work was simply “right,” from the perfect composition to the raw images of decay.

Object 3 – Gallery Vriend van Bavink – Stand 15
Armando, Baumgruppe, 1998, oil on canvas
Rob is crazy about the artist Armando, particularly his works from the 1980s. Armando did a lot with trees and “guilty landscapes,” and stories from his wartime past always shine through in his work. “You never get tired of looking at these.”

Object 4 – Tom Okker Art – Stand 8
Didier Engels, Urban Bloom, 2026, photography, baryta paper and epoxy
Normally Rob was never very fond of this kind of photography, but thanks to the printing technique, the high resolution of the images and the glossy epoxy layer, he was nevertheless strongly drawn to the work. “On the one hand it’s a very recognizable image, but at the same time it’s also abstract.”

Object 5 – Galerie Ramakers – Stand 96
Johan de Wit, the glorious failure, 2022–2025, paper, resins, iron powder, pigments
“The glorious failure, this artwork certainly isn’t that.” Rob finds this work very special in how it is made; the technique of paper with resin creates a unique and realistic image. It made Rob wonder what the “glorious failure” is, and it invites you to let your imagination run wild about what might have happened in this scene.