lifelong dream of the late owner of Old Holland, Professor Theo de Beer, was to create an acrylic paint that was worthy of carrying the Old Holland brand name. Eight years ago, he personally named the project “New Masters®”, as he felt that just as Old Holland oils were used in many of the works of the Dutch masters, it should follow that Old Holland acrylics would be used today by the new masters of art.

The primary criteria were established as follows;

1. The range should compliment the existing oil and watercolor ranges, being a unique mixture of the best traditional colors yet including the finest pigments born of new technologies.

2. All pigments must be lightfast to ASTM 1 & 2 or BWS 7+ standards.

3. In keeping with Old Holland tradition, each color must be formulated with the maximum pigmentation possible in the binder system.

4. New Masters Classic Acrylics must be formulated free from extenders or fillers of any kind.

5. 100% pure acrylic resin must be the backbone of the binder system to give excellent adhesion, color retention and working properties combined with minimum wet-dry color shift.

The Old Holland laboratory tested over 250 pigments and many different binding systems before selecting only the finest available, regardless of cost, to be included in the range. Indeed, looking at the hand-painted colors charts for Old Holland and New Masters, one is hard pressed to tell the difference between the two. This is a testament to the quality of New Masters; it is virtually indistinguishable in color strength, brilliance and intensity from the oil color range that is the basis of its heritage