Available work
CHANGING STATES by Jitske Schols
During Antwerp Art Weekend, we are proud to present a very special solo exhibition by Amsterdam-based artist Jitske Schols, titled CHANGING STATES.
Schols' work is dedicated to telling lost or overlooked ‘HERstories’—stories of women that have been forgotten or left untold—restoring them to our collective memory. Her practice offers a powerful counterbalance to the dominant male-centered narratives found in traditional ‘HIStory’. With a deeply intersectional lens, she explores how race, class, gender, and other identities have shaped these women’s lives and legacies.
Known for her long-term, research-driven projects, Schols delves into the complex identities of her subjects, uncovering the many layers that inform her evocative series of paintings. These works give voice to women whose stories have long been silent.
The series ‘Changing States’ explores the complex life journey of Elli Kruithof, a woman who traded her passion for art and creativity for a career in theology. Jitske Schols brings to life the many facets of Elli’s story — from her struggle for recognition and love to her unyielding spirit and sense of humor. This series of paintings highlights the inner strength of a woman who refused to be held back by circumstances and continuously sought her own path.
We warmly invite you to discover the work of Jitske Schols and the story of Elli Kruithof through Schols’ powerful visual narrative—and even experience some of Elli Kruithof’s own work on display at the gallery.
OPENING WEEKEND
30 May 2025 | 18h - 21h
31 May - 1 June 2025 | 14h - 18h
FINISSAGE WEEKEND
28 - 29 June 2025 | 14h-18h
or by appointment. The show will be on view throughout summer until August 31st.
Please be aware the gallery is not open every weekend but only during the open weekends mentioned above and by appointment.
*** PS: when viewing this preview on your phone, please zoom in and out on the images using a pinching motion with two fingers.
SIBLINGS
Elli Kruithof, born Catharina Elizabeth Kruithof in Antwerp on October 1, 1926, is a woman who continuously forges new paths and faces life with conviction and courage. As the second child in a Reformed family of seven, she grows up in an environment where art, culture, and intellect are held in high regard.
Siblings, 2025
acryl on canvas
100 x 80 cm
€ 3250
BEING A STUDENT
After finishing secondary school, Elli chooses the then-innovative program in Interior Architecture at the National Higher Institute for Architecture and Urbanism. During her studies, she meets Raymond Goovaerts, a charismatic architecture student with a passion for jazz. Her parents disapprove of her feelings for Raymond and send her to Amsterdam to cool off. Her studies are called into question, particularly because of her relationship with Raymond, and she begins to wonder whether she will be allowed to continue.
Extra-curricular, 2025
acryl on canvas
50 x 40 cm
🔴 SOLD
FEELING FRAGILE
Young Elli's fragile health often surfaces in her letters to her parents. In 1948, while living in Amsterdam, she writes about the poor quality of food, constant fatigue, and limited means: 'The food here isn't good, and I often feel tired. It would be nice to have a bit more money to take better care of my health.'
Post-war scarcity and the struggle to rebuild in the Netherlands add to her physical and emotional strain.
Mood, 2025
acryl on canvas
60 x 80 cm
🔴 SOLD
GOED WONEN
In the Netherlands, post-war home life revolves around the radio and the table. During her internship in 1948 at 'Goed Wonen', Elli learns modern living calls for change - but tradition holds firm. Only with the rise of television in the '60s does the table lose its central place.
Geometry of living, 2025
acryl on canvas
120 x 100 cm
€ 3900
SWALLOWED DISCOMFORT
Elli continues to write to her parents about her health and how unfair it feels that she's not allowed to complete her studies. The exact reasons remain unclear, but Elli returns to Antwerp, finishes her education, and keeps seeing Raymond. In 1952, the couple marries. And her parents? They seem to have swallowed their discomfort.
No further questions, 2025
acryl on canvas
80 x 100 cm
€ 3250
BLENDING VIBES
In 1950s Antwerp, Elli and Raymond are part of the vibrant, avant-garde art scene, attending exhibitions and hosting legendary jazz nights in their living room. Raymond spins records, while Elli adds flair with her graphic design, like the poster for a jazz event at The Grüter's.
Surrounded by artists like Roger Asselberghs and Jack Sels, they blend bohemian and intellectual vibes, perfectly capturing the spirit of their time.
Jazz at The Grüter’s, 2024
acryl on canvas
150 x 200 cm
🔴 SOLD
EAMES OF FLANDERS
After marrying in 1952, Elli and Raymond become a design duo shaping modern Belgian interiors. Their breakthrough comes with the 1953 'Het Nieuwe Wonen' exhibition.
Elli's playful, modern pieces - like tube-framed chairs and a custom sideboard - help replace the heavy pseudo-historic, 'Mechels' furniture with lighter, fresher forms.
Have a seat, 2025
acryl on canvas
100 x 80 cm
€ 3250
LA PÉROUSE
Elli's designs are playful, colourful, and ahead of their time. Together with Raymond, she is commissioned to style high-profile interiors, including La Pérouse - a floating restaurant aboard the Flandria 16 on the river Scheldt. Opened in November 1953 by the Flandria shipping company, the restaurant quickly earns a Michelin star in 1954 and becomes a hotspot for the rich and famous - hosting emperors, kings, princesses, sheikhs, and presidents.
Its signature dish, Kip Port of Antwerp, becomes a legend on the menu for years.
Kip Port of Antwerp, 2025
acryl on canvas
175 x 150 cm
€ 5250
TURNING POINT
Eight years after tying the knot, Elli and Raymond go their separate ways. The reason remains unclear, though Raymond is known to be a bit of a free spirit.
Their divorce not only ends their marriage but also their creative partnership. For Elli, it marks a turning point - she longs for more depth and chooses to study Protestant theology and philosophy of religion.
Rising, 2025
acryl on canvas
80 x 60 cm
🔴 SOLD
NEW CALLING
Always in search of intellectual depth, Elli leaves her design career behind. Though creative and innovative, the work no longer fulfills her need for meaning. Inspired by her brother, philosopher Jaap Kruithof, she fully commits to theology and philosophy of religion.
With her characteristic drive, she throws herself into this new calling publishing books and teaching high school students along the way.
Changing states, 2025
acryl on canvas
120 x 100 cm
🔴 SOLD
LOYAL TO THE SELF
Elli stays loyal to herself - even when that means stepping off the safe and familiar path. She doesn't conform to what's considered proper or sensible, and she resists the pressure from both her family and society.
It's not only Elli's personal path, but also the emotional and practical cost of choosing authenticity: financial uncertainty, misunderstanding, and a less predictable life - but one that feels honest.
1. Not quite decent, 2025
2. Didn’t fold, 2025 🔴 SOLD
3. Turned left anyway, 2025
4. Still myself, 2025
acryl on canvas
30 x 24 cm
€ 860
LESSONS IN LOGIC
In 1960, Elli studies at Ghent University, where she attends lectures on logic by Dr. Leo Apostel. Known for her wit, she translates the abstract material into humorous sketches, doodled on the benches of the lecture hall. Later, she collects the drawings and publishes them in a small booklet titled 'Lessons in Logic'.
Lessons in logic, 2025
acryl on canvas
175 x 150 cm
€ 5250
A QUIET LIFE
Elli lives alone in a small apartment in Antwerp. Though she isn't religious, she appears in 'De Open Poort' in 1965 - a small paper supporting the evangelism efforts of the Reformed churches in Belgium - together with her sister Nia. Elli is credited as the designer of the publication and as an advisor for the renovation of the affiliated church. Nia, meanwhile, is listed as a church member and the owner of a pedigree dog grooming salon. Elli regularly visits her family. But a new love never enters her life again.
At the pedigree dog grooming salon, 2024
acryl on canvas
100 x 120 cm
€ 3900
AMBITION
Elli grows increasingly disillusioned with the superficial and bourgeois. She has a clear disdain for things like tearooms and fashion shows - symbols, to her, of empty ambition. In a 1964 letter to her father, she writes: 'I'm studying philosophy (history) and theology, dogmatics - two years of each, then two years of philosophical evaluation. It takes a while, but I can handle that. A replacement for tearooms and fashion shows!' Beneath the wit lies her quiet rebellion against social expectations and a deep longing for intellectual meaning.
Tea rooms & fashion shows, 2025
acryl on canvas
150 x 200 cm
€ 5900
RECOGNITION
Elli lives in the shadow of her brother Jaap - a brilliant moral philosopher and university professor. Determined to match him, she dives into her studies with fierce dedication. 'I want to do better in theology than Jaap in philosophy,' she once said. She works tirelessly, writes book after book, and is praised for her originality. Still, recognition remains elusive. A rare compliment deeply moves her: 'The most laudatory critique I've ever received.' Beneath it all is a quiet hunger for intellectual validation, perhaps most of all from her father.
A shadow side, 2025
acryl on canvas
100 x 80 cm
🔴 SOLD
POWER OF THE PURSE
'At least I'm not working towards a wallet, but towards depth, meaning, and knowledge', says Elli in her letters. Yes, she's ambitious, but not for material success. She doesn't chase money. What drives her is not the reward, but the pursuit itself.
In a world that often measures worth in wealth, Elli chooses a different currency - one of insight, integrity, and inner richness. Her life becomes her greatest creation: not made for display, but built to last.
Power of the purse, 2025
acryl on canvas
80 x 60 cm
€ 2150
Portrait imaginaire, 2024
acryl on canvas
50 x 40 cm
€ 1350
AFTERWORD by Jitske Schols
In May 2023 Doris Vanistendael from ( s o o n ) gallery first visited my studio. We immediately clicked. A few months later, she asked if I’d be interested in creating a series about a Flemish woman to present in her gallery. Together we started searching for a beautiful forgotten story, and soon we came across the life of Elli Kruithof. Doris has been incredibly helpful in the research into this remarkable woman, which resulted in the exhibition Changing States at her gallery—for which I am deeply grateful.
But there are more people and institutions I would like to thank. Elli’s only surviving brother—her younger brother Kees, now in his late eighties, for instance. He generously shared his memories of his sister, along with archive material, photo albums, correspondence, and manuscripts. I’m also grateful to gallery owner Alain Hens for the information he gave me over a cup of tea in Antwerp. I want to thank the VandenEnde Foundation for their financial support—without it, I would not have been able to realize this project. And of course, my home base. Ayla, Emile, Ingrid.... eternal thanks for your support.