AWC Going Dutch April 2019

Credit: Royal Institute of Dutch Architects
The Dutch Daily
by Eileen Harloff
From Embassy to Cultural Center
When the US Embassy moved from the
Lange Voorhout in The Hague out to
Wassenaar over a year ago, a question arose:
What should become of the building? In
some quarters it was suggested that it be demolished—as
soon as possible as it was an
eye sore for that location and looked like a
prison—and replaced by a smart hotel. Other
factions said the building should be kept, but
that it should be changed into a hotel. Others
suggested that it should become a new museum,
either to house the Escher collection
(currently located down the street) or to make
it into a museum dedicated to Dutch porcelain.
The decision has been made. and the
former embassy building is now a museum
whose purpose is to “focus on the most relevant
developments in the modern arts and
provide the opportunity and space for artists
to develop new work and thereby make a
meaningful contribution to society.” The museum
is under the aegis of the national institution
West Den Haag, together with ANNA
Vastgoed (Property) and Culture.
The rescue of the building from destruction
is applauded by those interested in architecture
and its development over time.
It is a product of the Hungarian-American
architect and furniture designer Marcel
Brauer, a former member of the then radical
arts and crafts Bauhaus School that was
founded in the 1930s by Walter Gropius in
Weimar, Germany. Following his studies,
Brauer became a member of the faculty of
the School, later moving on first to London,
then to the US where he was on the faculty
of the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
In 1946 he moved to New York City and
set up his own practice. During his career
he designed almost 100 buildings, including
the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the
IBM Research Center, and the headquarters
of the US Department of Housing and Urban
Development in Washington, D.C.
Like it or not, the former embassy building
has been spared a sad demise and can now
look forward to a bright future, it is be hoped,
in the context of modern society. The museum,
which opened its doors to a large crowd
of visitors in February and can be visited
daily from 1 to 6 p.m. Free entrance is available
for children up to 12 and Museumkaart
holders. www.onzeambassade.nl
Get With It, Gemeentemuseum
To the horror and dismay of many of its
admirers—including me, I might add—
the Gemeentemuseum of The Hague will
be changing its name to Kunstmuseum
Den Haag (Art Museum The Hague) some
time at the end of this year. Although the
Gemeentemuseum is one of the most visited
and well-known art museums in the country,
according to Director Benno Tempel its
name is old fashioned, stuffy and regional—
it’s not associated with its international collection.
Nor is a change of name so unusual,
an example being the former Letterkundig
Museum (Literary Museum), whose present
name is Literatuurmuseum (Literature
Museum). With its new name, the museum
will have the international allure that is
crucial in these times and will undoubtedly
lead to a greater number of visitors. When
news of the intended change was made public,
the newspaper AD carried out of poll to
determine the opinion of the public. The response
was that only 14% of the respondents
Credit: Gemeentemuseum The Hague
thought it a good idea. A former Professor of
Corporate Communications, Cees Riel, who
has carried out extensive research on the subject,
agrees with Director Tempo. The new
name, he suggests, is associated with modern
art from the 20th and 21st centuries, and
while change often leads to uncertainty and
irritation, in the long run the change will generally
be accepted.
The Case of the Glass Piano
It’s like a story from a book or a film, and
its main character is a former Malaysian millionaire,
Jho Low, who stole millions from
Malaysia’s national funds, among others,
through various white-washing deals. He
was a big spender, owning a super-luxe yacht
with helicopter platform and a 19-man crew
(bought in the Netherlands), a private plane,
10 houses in New York City, California
and London, paintings (one of which was a
Picasso that he gave as a gift to Leonardo
DiCaprio), jewels, etc. He also gave money
to charity.
Now this is where Holland comes into the
story. Jho Low ordered a glass piano from
Dutch piano maker, music teacher and director,
Peter Tol. The piano maker lives in
Ablasserdam, where he has a home and
workshop. When he was 12 years old, he
saw an acrylic piano in a store in town. He
was fascinated with it and decided that one
day he would like to have such an item in his
own home. Peter grew up, married, and had
a daughter named Cecille, who was severely
handicapped, but who learned to play the
piano. Together they entertained themselves
with playing duets. When she was 25 years
old, Cecille moved out of the home and Peter
began building acrylic pianos, to which he
gave her name.
Switch back to Jho Low, millionaire. He
saw one of Tol’s acrylic pianos and decided
that this was the perfect gift for supermodel
Miranda Kerr. It was October, and he wanted
the piano to be delivered to Miranda in
California by Christmas, about three months
away. It usually takes nine months to build
a piano, but Peter Tol had an unfinished one
on hand and was able to meet the deadline.
Moreover, the piano was to have a red acrylic
ribbon around it just above the legs, and
when it was taken out of its wrappings it was
to automatically play You’re Still the One.
The piano was delivered on time, in the rain,
but as no one was home it was deposited on
the front porch. How it was received and if it
were used is not known.
The end of story is not yet in sight. Eventually
the financial machinations of Jho Low came
to light and he fled to an unknown destination,
although it is suspected that it is China.
As most of these transactions took place in
the US, that country was tasked with sorting
out the mess. This undertaking is costing a lot
of money, as items that had been gifted to various
people (the Picasso given to Leonardo
DiCaprio, the glass piano to Miranda Kerr,
etc.) have had to be retrieved, examined and
repaired. The fate of Peter Tol’s glass piano
is not yet known. I hope it ends up in the
Netherlands and that it will be on display. It
may even become a national treasure.
Credit: Vogue
46 GOING DUTCH
APRIL 2019 47