“An artist’s life on the Herengracht”
Behind the façade of Herengracht 401 lies the world of Gisèle d’Ailly van Waterschoot van der Gracht (1912–2013): artist, traveller and collector. In her living rooms and studio, art and everyday life come together. Paintings, books, personal belongings and the arrangement of the rooms reveal her way of seeing, her encounters and a life spanning a century.
Gisèle worked as a painter and stained-glass artist. Her international background, travels and interest in materials and forms found expression in both her work and her surroundings. The house evolved alongside her life: as a workplace, a home and a meeting place for artists, writers and friends.
A guided visit introduces you to this personal world. The rooms and objects bring major events into close contact with small, everyday stories. They reveal how an artist shapes her surroundings, and how those surroundings, in turn, hold the traces of a life.
The Second World War forms a profound chapter in this history. Gisèle sheltered people in hiding here. Their presence, and the significance of the protection she offered, remain part of the house. Its later history also has difficult aspects, which H401 investigates and addresses openly. The visit makes room for the complexity of the people who lived here.
Today, the house continues to evolve. Contemporary artists respond to its rooms, objects and stories, adding new perspectives. A visit brings you into a place where the past remains tangible and where art continues to inspire encounters, imagination and conversation.
The visit
The guided tour takes you through Gisèle’s wartime apartment, subsequently the salon where she lived with her husband Arnold D’Ailly after the war and finally her studio in the attic. It lasts around 1 hour and 30 minutes.
During your visit you will pass through rooms in transformation, with the possibility of artistic intervention in the future. You’ll see the house as it is now: lived in, layered and still changing.
- When: every Wednesday
- Language: English/Dutch
- Price: €14.50 per person, paid on site by PIN/bank card (includes a hot drink consumption)
- Accessibility: a lift connects all the floors visited during the tour
- Booking: at least one week in advance, through the booking form below. You will receive a confirmation by email.
For groups or tours tailored to a special interest or date, write to us at mail@h401.org
You will be visiting a historical house with fragile objects and artworks. We appreciate careful and respectful behaviour during the tour.
