Citizens in The Netherlands have been contributing to the Prince Bernhard Fund for promising Dutch artists, but the verdict of deeply disappointed Dutch critics: the money was wasted.

For two years, public-spirited citizens in The Netherlands have been pitching in guilders to the Prince Bernhard Fund so that promising Dutch artists can broaden their vision and sharpen their palettes by foreign travel. Last week, in Amsterdam’s municipal museum, the travelers exhibited their new work. The general verdict of…