CODART, Dutch and Flemish art in museums worldwide

Tuesday 31 May

In-depth study visits on Tuesday 31 May, 14:45-16:15

1. Dutch Collection Center with Wim Hoeben, Alexander Dencher, Paul van Duin and Eric Domela Nieuwenhuis

In the CollectieCentrum Nederland (Dutch Collection Center), the collections of the Nederlands Openluchtmuseum (Dutch Open Air Museum), Paleis Het Loo (Het Loo Palace), the Rijksmuseum and the Rijksdienst Cultureel Erfgoed (Cultural Heritage Agency) are stored together. This alliance between different, but important cultural players in the Dutch field enables scholars to study objects from the Royal Collection side by side with ordinary household objects. Alexander Dencher (Assistant Curator of Furniture, Rijksmuseum) and Paul van Duin (Head of Furniture Conservation, Rijksmuseum) will offer you a unique view in the furniture department of the Rijksmuseum where they have curated a scholarly chronological overview of the best examples of Dutch furniture. Eric Domela Nieuwenhuis (Curator, Rijksdienst voor Cultureel Erfgoed) on the other hand shall guide you through the collection of the Rijksdienst voor Cultureel Erfgoed.

2. Museum De Lakenhal, Leiden with Janneke van Asperen and Christiaan Vogelaar

In 2019, the refurbished and renovated Museum de Lakenhal in Leiden reopened. Following years of research, the building was renovated. The forecourt of the 1640 Laecken-Halle — that had been roofed for over 25 years — became an open courtyard again. Janneke van Asperen (Curator of Old Master Paintings and Sculptures) and Christiaan Vogelaar (Former Curator) will talk about the building, the renovation and the research carried out in the process, the museum’s collection will also be discussed with special with special attention for David Bailly’s Vanitas still life with self-portrait of the painter, subject of an upcoming exhibition. The history of the history of the Lakenhal within the city of Leiden and the in situ art still in the building will also be one of the subject’s covered in this in-deth visit.

3. Depot Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen with Ruben Suykerbuyk, Sandra Kisters and Rosie Razzall

Last November the new depot building of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen opened its doors to the public. In an attempt to turn the collection inside out, the open warehouse is the world’s first in its sort. In the futuristic new building, located next to the museum, the collection is still visible to viewers and experts alike while the museum is closed due to an extensive renovation. Not only does the new depot make the whole collection available for visitors, it is also an opportunity for the casual museum goer to see the curator at work. Ruben Suykerbuyk (Curator of Old Masters), Sandra Kisters (Head of Collections and Research) and Rosie Razall (Curator of Drawings) will take you through the new depot, while discussing artworks, the workings of the new facility and the philosophy behind the open storage area.

4. Period Rooms at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag with Suzanne Lambooy

The Kunstmuseum Den Haag (Art Museum The Hague) is well known for its collection of modern art and the building from the 1930’s designed by Hendrik Petrus Berlage. From the initial moment of design, Berlage reserved spaces for a handful of historic interiors that are still on view in the museum today. The period rooms represent different style periods from Dutch interiors and were salvaged from houses that were being demolished in Amsterdam, The Hague and Dordrecht. In this excursion curatorial practices regarding the period rooms in the Kunstmuseum will be explored under guidance of Suzanne Lambooy (Curator of Applied Arts, Kunstmuseum Den Haag).

5. Tomb of William of Orange, Nieuwe Kerk Delft with Frits Scholten

The Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in Delft is home to the extraordinary marble tomb of William of Orange. Hendrick de Keyser’s masterpiece, that is also included in the CODART canon, represents the Dutch leader as a Protestant, a Republican and military hero, Pater patriae of the Netherlands and icon of the Orange dynasty. William’s tomb is the best-known monument in the church, but not the only one. Other tombs in the church commemorate humanist Hugo de Groot, Anthonie van Leeuwenhoek and Piet Hein. Frits Scholten (Head of the Department of Sculpture, Rijksmuseum) will lead this excursion past the most important monuments in the Nieuwe Kerk.

6. Royal Palace Amsterdam, with Alice Taatgen

When studying art in situ, the Royal Palace in Amsterdam is a place you cannot miss. During this study visit Alice Taatgen (Head of Content and Audiences / Curator) will guide you around the Palace, that was originally the Town Hall of Amsterdam. It is a true Gesamtkunstwerk, where architecture, sculpture and painting closely interlock. We will be sure to visit the magnificent Tribunal, the highpoint of the sculptural program created by Artus Quellinus.