Who we are

The Galatea foundation was founded in 2018 by Jaap Versteegh and Joke van Veen. They are the owners of artdealer Pygmalion in Maarssen-Dorp in the Netherlands. The foundation emerged from a common passion of Jaap and Joke for art and music, and their concern with the refugee question. From this engagement they want to offer a platform to artists in the Netherlands with a migration background and to talented but less fortunate musicians.

Mikkel Hofstee

chairman

Mikkel Hofstee studied public administration in Leiden, after which he worked for ABNAMRO abroad for 7 years. In 2002 he started Lifeguard, a consultancy for vital organizations. He is co-founder of the Amsterdam City Swim and author of Oermens 2.0. His love for art was born to him, because his parents have been active in the art world all their lives.

co-founder. Member of the board

Jaap Versteegh, co- founder of the Galatea Foundation, was educated as an artist at the University of Pittsburgh (US) and Academy Minerva in Groningen and studied art history in Amsterdam. He worked as a drawing teacher at the HvU and as a teacher of art history at Leiden University and is currently working as an art dealer within the Pygmalion art dealership in Maarssen.

In 2018, he and his wife Joke van Veen took the initiative to establish the Galatea Foundation, aimed at supporting artists in a disadvantaged position in the Netherlands, in particular refugee artists.

Hetje van Spronsen
secretary

Hetje van Spronsen completed the International Studies course at the High School of Utrecht. Since then she has worked in commercial positions at various media companies. In 2007 she followed her heart and started working at the general book publisher Unieboek | The Spectrum in Amsterdam. From its inception, she has felt involved in the organization and purpose of the Galatea Foundation.

Lieuwe Faber
treasurer

Lieuwe is an electronics engineer and graduated from The Hague University of Applied Sciences. After that he studied business administration at the TSM business school. He has now been working at KPN for over 24 years and has taken on the role of treasurer at various associations in which he is closely involved.

Joke van Veen

Co-founder and member of the board

Joke is treasurer and co-founder of the Galatea Foundation.

She is also co-owner of Pygmalion art gallery and organiser of small concerts.

In the cultural field, she has held various (board) positions.

Wilma Sütö

member of the board

Wilma is curator of the Dordrecht Museum. Before that, she worked at the Mondriaan Foundation and various museums, was a board member at several cultural institutions and critic modern & contemporary art.

Art beyond borders

Advisors

Senad Alic

artistic director of De Werkelijkheid.

Committee of recommendation

Mr Gary Schwartz

Rembrandt specialist and founder CODART

Mr Peter Schoon

formerly general director of the Dordrechts Museum

Mr Bart Rutten

general director of the Centraal Museum Utrecht

Mr. Jop Ubbens

formerly director Christie’s Amsterdam

Organisatie

The Galatea foundation consists of 4 board members and 3 advisors of which 2 members of the jury. The members of the jury together with the board, will assess the submitted works of the artists, draw up the shortlist and thus determine the winner of the annual Galatea prize.

We would like to introduce them to you:

Remuneration Policy

Directors do not receive any remuneration for their work. Directors may be entitled to reimbursement of the costs (reasonably) incurred by them in the performance of their duties.