About 100 years ago there was a famous Dutch society painter: Antoon van Welie (1866-1956).

One of the people who grew Rhododendrons named a new specie to this painter, the Antoon van Welie Rhododendron.

Today I tried to find this variety in the Netherlands, but I can't find it anywhere.

According to my internet searches it is available in the USA, however I learnt that we can't import Rhododendrons from the USA in the Netherlands.

Does anyone in this forum know where I can buy this Antoon van Welie Rhododendron in the Netherlands or in Europe.

We'd like to show this Rhododendron when the big Antoon van Welie painting exhibition* starts in the Netherlands (April 14 - August 12, 2007 - Museum Het Valkhof, Nijmegen, The Netherlands) and we 'd like to put it on the family grave.

Thanking you in advance for your kind help!

Regards,

Peter J. Fontijn

Email: labora@planet.nl

Web: www.antoonvanwelie.nl

*Antoon van Welie (1866-1956) - The last decadent painter

14 April - 12 August 2007 The Netherlands

"Anyone attempting to create a characterising survey of contemporary national [Dutch] painting, would have to devote a separate chapter to Antoon van Welie", notes literary man Frits Lapidoth in the journal Op de hoogte in 1912. Museum Het Valkhof will finally devote this Âchapter to the artist in the summer of 2007. As a result of the 50th anniversary of his death on 24 September 2006, the museum will honour Antoon van Welie with a large survey exhibition of his paintings and drawings.

Born in the small village of Afferden near Nijmegen in 1866, van Welie developed into a typical fin de siècle-artist around the turn of the century. He was both self-conscious and worldly. On seeing van WelieÂs paintings with their enchanting scenes and mysterious symbolic language  based on the dramas of Dante, Shakespeare and Maurice Maeterlinck  the famous French writer Anatole France referred to him as "the last decadent painter". Between 1900 and 1925 van Welie was the leading portraitist of international high society. In his studios in Paris, Rome, London and The Hague he portrayed divas, politicians, nobility and popes but also his mother and various people from the region where he was born. Furthermore, van Welie moved in literary, artistic and theatrical circles, which resulted in the portraits of Louis Couperus, Willem Kloos, Sarah Bernardt and Yvette Guilbert. In the years prior to his death he unmistakably drew inspiration from the Christian faith. Antoon van Welie (1866-1956) - The last decadent painter, will tell the unique story of this internationally famed symbolist artist and society painter. This monographic retrospective not only tells the story of Antoon van WelieÂs struggle with appreciation and disapproval, which was the tragedy of his personal and artistic life. It also gives him a place within Dutch art history.

Here is a link that might be useful: Antoon van Welie website