Stedelijk Museum Annual Report 2012

Message from the Directors
In 2012 the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam proudly realized its primary ambition: the
successful opening of the renovated and expanded building on the Museumplein. It
was a deeply moving experience for the museum’s staff, stakeholders, and publics.
The long-anticipated reopening also revitalized Amsterdam as a vibrant, dynamic
arts community.
Some 2,500 works from our collections were installed in the historic building, and,
for the first time, we were able to present exhibitions in the bold and innovative
space designed by Benthem Crouwel Architects, which is at once a functional and
aesthetic tour de force.
Following the extraordinary and unforgettable official opening by Her Royal
Highness Queen Beatrix on September 22, the museum welcomed more than
300,000 visitors in its first three months, exceeding all our expectations.
In celebration of the grand reopening, the collection of the Stedelijk Museum was
enriched by the gifts of: H.M. (2012), a remarkable portrait of Her Majesty Queen
Beatrix of the Netherlands by Luc Tuymans; the compelling painting Osama (2010)
by Marlene Dumas; and the newly acquired installation that Dan Flavin created
especially for the museum’s historic building in 1986. On the eve of the reopening,
the iconic sculpture Sight Point (for Leo Castelli) (1972) by Richard Serra was, in
the presence of the artist, reinstalled in its former location on Museumplein, now at
the new entrance to the Stedelijk. We were also gratified to have acquired
installations by Barbara Kruger and Louise Lawler for our collection, and proud that
the entrance area is now dramatically enlivened by a monumental textile. Designed
for the Stedelijk Museum by Petra Blaisse’s Amsterdam-based studio Inside
Outside, it is the product of an inventive collaboration between Inside Outside and
Dutch carpet manufacturer Desso.
The first temporary exhibition at the new Stedelijk, Beyond Imagination, was a
tribute to art made by Dutch and Dutch-based international artists. It reaffirmed the
return of the museum as the focal point of Amsterdam’s contemporary art scene.
The presentation encompassed new projects and commissioned works by 20 artists
active in the Netherlands.
Works in Place, the first presentation in the extraordinary 1,100-squaremeter
lower-level gallery of the new wing, reflected on artists’ relationship to space
and place. Featuring the work of 10 artists, the exhibition highlighted recent
acquisitions and other large-scale works and installations from the collection.
The first international traveling exhibition organized and presented by the
Stedelijk was the major retrospective of the work of American artist Mike Kelley.
Presenting more than 200 works, MIKE KELLEY occupied all of the galleries of the
new wing. Attracting upward of 260,000 visitors following its opening in Amsterdam
in December 2012, the exhibition is now on tour to venues in Paris, New York, and
Los Angeles.
Education is integral to the mission of the Stedelijk. Numerous innovative programs
have been developed to inspire and reach out to our publics of all ages. Our
beautiful new Blikopeners Spot, home to our widely acclaimed peer education
program, as well as the striking Family Lab and newly opened classrooms, add a
lively presence to the new Stedelijk. We are gratified to find that our dynamic Public
Program has engaged artists, scholars, and collaborating institutions, while
attracting and building new audiences for contemporary art and culture.
We have enhanced our visitor services with the new Stedelijk Restaurant and the
Zadelhoff Café, both designed by Amsterdam-based design agency Concern; and
with the new museum store of renowned book publisher and retailer Walther
König—the only branch in the Netherlands.
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