Jaarverslag 2004 - Rijksmuseum

Director’s Report 2004
Jan Steen exhibition. ‘Winter in Holland’, devoted to
winter scenes from Bruegel to Breitner, opened on 23
most expensive acquisition ever made by the
Rijksmuseum. The amount was raised thanks to the
The Print Room acquired a monumental sheet by
Jan de Bisschop and an exceptionally fresh drawing of
December. Former Olympic speed skating champion
support of the National Acquisition Fund of the
a bergamot plant by Aert Schouman. Drawings by
For the Rijksmuseum 2004 was the year of the great
never been greater, with branches from Drenthe and
museum no good. To help visitors find their way to
Yvonne van Gennip performed the opening.
Ministry of Education, Cultural Affairs and Science,
Paolo de Matteis and Filippo Citaroni were bought
move. The main building closed its doors on 7
Twente to Dordrecht and Maastricht. The museum
the entrance to the Philips Wing, Irma Boom designed
On 25 May a new display of the ship models
the Sponsor Loterij / BankGiro Loterij, the Stichting
with funds from Mr. and Mrs. Van Hulsen-Ognibeni.
December 2003, and this marked the start of the enor-
also made its presence felt abroad. The Vanmour exhi-
attractive signposting with a line of signs along the
opened at the headquarters of ABN AMRO Nederland.
Nationaal Fonds Kunstbezit, the Mondrian
Ten ornament prints depicting fanciful figures, mon-
mous operation in which over one million objects
bition, which attracted a great deal of interest in
fence.
On 29 June, after an absence of over 100 years, the ceil-
Foundation, the VSB Fund, the Vereniging Rembrandt
sters and fantasy creatures after designs by the silver-
were transported to temporary accommodation. While
Amsterdam in 2003, drew no less than 150,000 visitors
ing painting ‘Apollo with Minerva and the nine
(made possible in part by the Prince Bernhard
smith Arend Bolten were acquired.
the removal of the ‘Night Watch’ took place in a blaze
to the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul in 2004.
Exhibitions
Muses’ returned to the place for which Jacob de Wit
Cultural Fund) and the Rijksmuseum Fund. After the
A special event took place on 23 November with
of publicity at the end of 2003, the other paintings,
On 26 April the seven candidates competing to be
As well as organising the guest presentations, which
had made it in 1731, Huis Marseille at Keizersgracht
money had been raised, it was still touch and go as to
the handing over of 18 sketchbooks belonging to the
pieces of furniture, ship models and boxes of drawings
the exhibition architect of The New Rijksmuseum pre-
are described in more detail elsewhere (see p. 36), the
401. In the Rijksmuseum the painting adorned the
whether an export licence would be granted for this
artist Carel Willink which had been donated by his
and prints left the building on the Stadhouderskade
sented their solutions to the assignments in several
Rijksmuseum took part in several exhibitions. It made
rooms of the Royal Antiquarian Society, the owner of
important work, which had been in Britain for 150
widow Sylvia Willink-Quiël (see pp. 53-55).
almost noiselessly. By 2 August the operation was
sessions at the Johan de Witt Huis in The Hague. The
available a large number of masterpieces, including
the work. There is no place for the painting in The
years. The long-awaited news came on 9 August, and
The library acquired a rare treatise on perspective
complete, and the dismantling of the interior of the
selection committee was chaired by Ronald de Leeuw
Vermeer’s ‘Woman reading a letter’, to the Amsterdam
New Rijksmuseum and so it was decided, in line with
on 19 August the work was symbolically presented to
theory of 1796 and was the beneficiary of a donation of
main building began in September.
and consisted of Antonio Cruz (on behalf of the archi-
Historical Museum for a joint project in which the
the policy of returning such loans to their original
State Secretary Medy van der Laan and shown to the
22 emblem books.
The staff of the Rijksmuseum also had to transfer
tects), Jo Coenen (Chief Government Architect), Wim
collection bequeathed by Adriaan van der Hoop 150
location where possible, to give it to Huis Marseille on
public. A selection from the Rijksmuseum’s rich col-
The photography collection was enriched by a
to new quarters. Most moved to the Frans van
Crouwel (designer and former director of the Museum
years ago was reconstructed under the title ‘The Gift.
long-term loan.
lection of Jan Steens was later exhibited at Schiphol.
series of 143 vintage prints made by Wouter Cool Jr
Mierisstraat in June; the offices, the library and the
Boijmans Van Beuningen) and Peter Sigmond and Jan
Dutch Masters from an Amsterdam Banker’.
Although buying the Jan Steen came near to
during a tour of American cities, factories and power
Print Room are temporarily housed there. The direc-
Rudolph de Lorm (Rijksmuseum). The winning entry
Rijksmuseum curators made substantial contribu-
Collection
exhausting the resources, there were nonetheless
stations in 1936, and by the portfolio Métal by
tor’s villa in the museum garden was left empty and
was that of the French interior architect Jean-Michel
tions to the comprehensive catalogue. The exhibition
In March an overview of the principal acquisitions by
many other interesting purchases and acquisitions.
Germaine Krull of 1927/1928 which contains 64 mod-
will be used in the years ahead as a ‘site office’ for the
Wilmotte, who has been responsible for the arrange-
attracted 55,000 visitors.
the Rijksmuseum in 2000-2003 was published in a
On 6 May a group of four charming still lifes by
ernist photos of the Rotterdam bridge De Hef and the
Ateliergebouw (Studio Building). The restorers found
ment of large parts of the Musée du Louvre among
In late 2004 the Rijksmuseum organised the pho-
supplement to the Burlington Magazine. With the
Adriaen Coorte were presented in the presence of the
Eiffel tower among other subjects (see pp. 50-52).
refuge at the Scheepvaartmuseum, at the ICN
other projects. Bureau Copijn was chosen as the gar-
tographic commission ‘Document the Netherlands’,
increase in funds in recent years thanks to the Sponsor
lender; they will be displayed on loan by the
A successful fund-raising event on 17 November
(Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage) in the
den architect.
for the seventh time in conjunction with NRC
Loterij and since mid-2004 the BankGiro Loterij and
Rijksmuseum and the Mauritshuis in turn.
provided a substantial contribution for the Paul Huf
Gabriël Metsustraat and at the Municipal Archives in
June saw the completion of the Information
Handelsblad, and the resulting exhibition was hosted
the National Acquisition Fund, and the increased
The collection of Asian art was enriched by an
Fund for photography acquisitions.
the Tolstraat.
Centre designed by Cruz & Ortiz in the garden of the
by Foam, the Amsterdam Photography Museum. The
resources of the Mondrian Foundation, acquisitions
Indian ivory (see p. 56) and two 20th-century
The public can still visit the Rijksmuseum while
Rijksmuseum on the Jan Luijkenstraat side. It was
theme was ‘young people and school’. Justin Jin, a
that have long been beyond our reach are once more
Japanese screens. Kunsthandel Stodel donated a tile
External relations
it is being renovated. At the end of 2003 the presenta-
officially inaugurated on 20 July and is now open daily
Chinese photographer working in the Netherlands,
possible.
tableau made in 1884 by the De Porceleyne Fles delft-
The directors and curators of the Rijksmuseum took
tion Rijksmuseum, The Masterpieces opened in the
from 11 am to 4 pm (closed on Monday). Besides up-
chose the title ‘In search of Sophie, Hakan and
The Rijksmuseum Fund, which acts as a coordi-
ware factory and shown at the World Exhibition in
part in numerous conferences and symposia at home
Philips Wing and proved to have a wide appeal. It may
to-date information about the project with photos,
Roderick’. More than 50 photos showed how for sev-
nating body for the Named Funds, was fortunate
Antwerp in 1885. A long-held wish was fulfilled with
and abroad. The Director General spoke on museum
be reckoned a great success that no less than 812,102
models and films, there are also temporary exhibi-
eral months the photographer had observed three
enough to find Mr. Wim Duisenberg willing to serve
the purchase of a silver jewel box. It was one of the
policy at the symposium ‘Scenarios for the humani-
visitors came to the Philips Wing, when the annual
tions. The first was devoted to the prize-winning
pupils at three different schools during lessons and
as its chairman. Mrs. M. J. Boelaard-Stheeman and
discoveries of the exhibition ‘The Age of Ugliness’ in
ties’ to mark the retirement of Prof. Wiljan van den
number of visitors before the renovations averaged
designs of Jean-Michel Wilmotte. To mark the open-
breaks, but also at home with their parents after
Mr. H.H.F. Wijffels stepped down as board members
1995/1996 and was afterwards displayed on loan in the
Akker as director of the Research Institute for History
about 1.2 million. The proportion of national to inter-
ing of the Information Centre, a special issue of the
school, doing a part-time job and on an evening out.
and were succeeded by Mrs. A.M. Fentener van
decorative arts department. It was very pleasing to be
and Culture in Utrecht. In March he gave the keynote
national visitors was 27% to 73%. Young visitors made
Government Buildings Agency magazine was pub-
A website on the theme ‘youth’ was also made in col-
Vlissingen and Mr. A.S. Fransen van de Putte and
able to acquire the object definitively. Two large delft-
speech at Nikkei Hall, Tokyo, and then participated as
up 13% of the total and the museum shop did good
lished, and the brochure The New Rijksmuseum. For the
laboration with www.omroep.nl/geschiedenis (created
jonkheer R.W.F. van Tets. After a lean year the fund
ware flower pyramids had been admired for even
a forum member in the international Museum
business. The success of The Masterpieces is no doubt in
21st-century public was reissued with the title Building
by VPRO and NPS). The exhibition was opened by
was again able, partly through the Named Funds, to
longer. The museum had been searching for such
Summit devoted to ‘The Role of Museums in the 21st
part due to the appealing publicity campaign ‘Open
The New Rijksmuseum.
managing director Jan Willem Sieburgh.
contribute substantially to various art acquisitions
pieces for decades and in 2004 this wish was granted
century’ in Kanegawa. This was also a central theme at
for renovations’. Add to this over 180,000 people who
Both the museum and the public suffered a great
This year there were four exhibitions at Schiphol
and activities. The founder of the Scato Gockinga
(see p. 58).
the conference in Bonn on 14 June on ‘Perspektiven –
dropped in to our branch at Schiphol Airport and the
deal of inconvenience because of the construction of
drawn from the museum’s own collection. The first
Fund, who died in 2004, bequeathed a large amount
In the field of sculpture there was the acquisition
Die Zukunft der Museen im 21. Jahrhundert’ to mark
many tens of thousands who saw one or more of the
an underground rainwater basin in front of the build-
was ‘Van Gogh and the Modern Masters’, which was
that will benefit his Named Fund, which supports the
of a fine 19th-century Belgian statuette of ivory and
the tenth anniversary of the Haus der Geschichte. On
guest presentations in Dutch museums in 2004, and it
ing. As a result, the museum has long been difficult to
devoted to painting around 1900. In the final weeks it
Rijksmuseum’s collection of ship models.
wood, a welcome addition to the art nouveau ensem-
December 26 he took part in a radio discussion on
is no exaggeration to say that the Rijksmuseum has
reach from the city side. Although this was the
attracted an average of 780 visitors a day. From 19
Much the most important acquisition in 2004 was
ble. The museum also acquired part of the estate of
Europe.
lost hardly any of its visibility in this year. On the
responsibility of the city, and completely out of our
April animal studies were highlighted in ‘Rembrandt
the painting ‘A ‘burgomaster’ of Delft and his daugh-
Bart van Hove, who was responsible for much of the
The relation between economics and culture was
contrary, the national impact of the museum has
hands, the disruption of traffic did the image of the
and other animals’, followed on 23 August by a small
ter’ by Jan Steen. At 11.9 million euro, this was the
sculpture for Cuypers’ Rijksmuseum.
the theme of a meeting in The Hague on 24 March
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