Visual art & family stories of the HolocaustThe Jewish secOnd generation art & family  Museum Amsterdam (JOMA) is a museum of Maarten van der Heijden
 about democracy and rule of law, beautifully located at the Brouwersgracht 49 in the heart of the monumental 17th century canal belt in the center of Amsterdam.Experience the VISUAL ART of Maarten van der Heijden, Boaz Arad, Christian Boltanski and Karel Gomes and music composed by Maarten's grandfather Martin Spanjaard (1892-1942).Ask questions to Maarten van der Heijden, the artist and inhabitant of the house and hear about his FAMILY STORIES OF THE HOLOCAUST.Visit the learning & education center with more than 250 books, experience an amazing blue glass collection, take a walk in the sculpture garden and meet the artist.
The museumcafé is opening soon.

“The technique of montage allows Van der Heijden to confront in the same image different moments from history and art history.”(art historian Frank Reijnders, 2011)“It seems not only to deal with images, but also with the process of reflection.”(art historian Frank Reijnders, 2011)“Each item from the boxes tells its own story, each is connected to a memory. This work is not only dealing with the individual memory of the artist, but also provides us with general questions: What is the identity of a human beeing? What remains of a human life? In this way van der Heijden also discusses the impact of the Holocaust on the second-generation."(Photographer Christian Herrnbeck, & art historians Alexandra Klei, Annika Wienert, 2011)“From this work speaks the desire to be able to remember again what has been forgotten, and to bring order and structure in his own life.”(photographer Christian Hernbeck, 2011)“Even though the images of war and horror are common today, when it comes to the Shoah, and in particular in the European context where the artist is working, the contemporary eye prefers to look away. In this reality Van der Heijden is fiercely protesting: ‘you may not look away’ (Deuteronomium 22.3).”(art historian David Sperber, 2013)“Van der Heijden’s method of giving atrocity another face of beauty and aesthetics is brave.”(artist/teacher: Manel Esparbe i Gasca, 2010) “This ambivalence, both perverse and sublime, has produced relevant images which did not exist before.”(artist/teacher: Manel Esparbe i Gasca, 2010)“The fact that our eyes enjoy the esthetics in these works makes it even worse.”(artist/teacher: Merijn Bolink, 2013)“Maarten has placed himselfe at the centre of the Jewish tradition.”(Rabbi Tamarah Benima, 2011)“Maarten van der Heijden has taken his responsibility by giving the Jewish suffering an artistic shape.”(Rabbi Tamarah Benima, 2011) SOURCE TEXTS and more recent (2023) PRESS: see website: https://joma-amsterdam.nl

From 1982 till 2002 I worked as a university teacher at different departments of Leiden University: Pedological Institute, Educational Psychology (Onderwijsstudies), Orthopedagogy and Developmental Psychology.In 1993 my doctoral thesis [Consistentie van Aanpakgedrag - Een procesdiagnostisch onderzoek naar acht aspecten van hoofdrekenen. Swets & Zeitlinger, Lisse, 1993] was nominated for a cum laude.

From 1982 till 1992 I worked as a bass-player (and group-psychologist!) with the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam under the direction of Jan Willem de Vriend.

From 1977 till 1982 I worked as a clinical child psychologist (diagnostician) at the Child Psychiatric Departement of the AMC of Amsterdam University (direction: Prof. Dr. David de Levita).

From 1970 till 1979 I played Violone (double bass) in the first baroque orchestra of Ton Koopman: Musica Antiqua Amsterdam (MAA later became ABO).And I played also in a lot of other baroque music groups directed by Gustav Leonhardt, Frans Brueggen, Sigiswald Kuyken, Philipe Herreweghe, Jos van Immerseel, Jos van Veldhoven and others.