Cees Röling, Matthijs’ second cousin and two years his senior, collected art since he was seventeen. In the art world he was known as ‘Cousin Cees'.

When he fell ill at the age of 47 and had to stop working as a fashion importer, he decided to focus entirely on art. He bought hundreds of realistic drawings, paintings and sculptures, many of which were made by Northern Realists.

Cees Röling was an important collector for dozens of artists. By buying many artworks, Cees supported them financially. This enabled artists to experiment and continue their artistic development.

In 2021 he left an enormous legacy of art, comprising over a hunderd works by Matthijs Röling. No less than 82 of them have been donated to the Drents Museum.