Stedelijk Museum Annual Report 2012

Collection
Acquisitions Overview
In 2012, the collection of the Stedelijk Museum was strengthened by many
acquisitions―both purchases and gifts―of photography, graphic design, industrial
design, installation art, books, painting, applied arts, and works on paper.
The painting Osama (2010) by Marlene Dumas is a meaningful augmentation to the
Stedelijk’s collection, which already holds 35 works by Dumas. The installation
created especially for the historic building by American artist Dan Flavin in 1986—
reinstalled in 2011 and acquired in 2012 for the permanent collection—joins two key
works by this artist already in the collection. The museum was able to purchase the
installation through generous support from a private donor, the Mondriaan Fund,
and Vereniging Rembrandt, thanks in part to its Titus Fund.
The Stedelijk realized a long-cherished wish by purchasing the threedimensionally
printed Solid C2 chair (2004) and One_Shot.MGX stool (2006) by
French designer Patrick Jouin.
A remarkable acquisition in 2012 was the photo series The Missing
Negatives of the Sonnenfeld Collection (2008) by Yael Bartana, purchased from
Annet Gelink Gallery, acquired jointly with Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, and with
financial support from Outset NL and the Mondrian Fund.
In 2012, the number of gifts to the collection exceeded the number of purchases.
Partly in celebration of the reopening, artists, private collectors, gallery owners, and
a number of institutions expressed their deep esteem for the Stedelijk in the form of
generous donations. The collection was enriched by works in a range of media,
including sound and moving image, photography, graphic design, installation art,
books, paintings, and works on paper.
On the occasion of the opening, anonymous donors, with the cooperation of
David Zwirner Gallery, New York/London, donated the monumental painting H.M.
(2012) by Luc Tuymans. This first-ever commissioned work produced by the artist
now occupies a prominent place in the first gallery one enters in the historical
building.
Designed for the Stedelijk Museum by Petra Blaisse’s Amsterdam-based studio
Inside Outside, a monumental textile work was installed as an integral element of
the expanded and renovated museum, greeting visitors to the Stedelijk’s new
entrance hall and restaurant. The black-and-white work, titled Damask, connects
the historic and new buildings, adding a spectacular visual element, while also
enhancing the acoustic quality of the space. The textile is the product of an
intensive collaboration between Inside Outside and Dutch carpet manufacturer
Desso, who was both partner and sponsor, and it features a combination of weaving
techniques developed by Desso especially for this project.
On the eve of the reopening the iconic sculpture Sight Point (for Leo Castelli) by
American artist Richard Serra was reinstalled on the Museumplein. Conceived in
1972, the work consists of three weatherproof steel plates—each weighing 17 tons
and measuring 10 feet (3.0 meters) wide, 38.4 feet (11.7 meters) high, and 2.5
inches (6.4 cm) thick—balanced against each other to form an equilateral triangle at
its apex. Originally installed in 1975 in the museum’s former sculpture garden, it
was removed in 1997 to accommodate the redesign of the Museumplein. The work
is now installed in its permanent location at the new entrance to the Stedelijk
Museum.
11