ABTA Magazine (May 2016)

| The Netherlands |

Dutch masters The Netherlands isn’t just tulips and windmills, it’s been the home of world-leading artists and designers for centuries. From oil paintings to De Stijl, we head for the locations that have inspired the greats

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The Dutch design ethic that has become so prominent since the 1990s is simple and strong. We take a visit to the city that’s arguably the centre of Dutch design, Eindhoven, and find it buzzing with life and ideas; a place full of high-tech innovation, ex-industrial spaces alive with cool places to eat, shop and drink and a world-beating collection of modern art.

Whether it’s a bike ride through the Brabant countryside that inspired Van Gogh, superb modernist paintings or an innovative exhibition of young designers in a warehouse restaurant, visual art lovers will find plenty to stimulate and inspire them.

IMAGE: MIKE BRINK. WORDS: JO FLETCHER-CROSS

or those interested in art and design, the Netherlands is an ideal destination. It has an illustrious history in classical art; from Bosch — whose home town we visit as it commemorates 500 years since his death – to Rembrandt, Vermeer and Vincent van Gogh, while its distinctive blue and white Delft pottery is known throughout the world. The Dutch were quick to embrace modernism and forged ahead in the world of 20th-century art, as seen in the primary colours and straight lines of Piet Mondrian and the De Stijl movement — ­ we look at how the country will be celebrating 100 years since the birth of the movement in 2017 on the next page.

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The Netherlands

| inspiration |

A stylish trip Dutch design is distinctive, founded on the principles of beauty and functionality. Next year marks the 100th anniversary of De Stijl (The Style), the artistic movement founded in 1917 by Theo Van Doesburg, searching for the balance between ‘keeping it simple’ and the reality of living. The original artists in the movement, such as Piet Mondrian, Bart van der Leck and Gerrit Rietveld created work and pioneered ideas which still inspire contemporary Dutch designers like Maarten Baas and Piet Hein Eek today. There’ll be exhibitions and events all over the Netherlands focusing on art, design and architecture — Jo Fletcher-Cross picks out some highlights. holland.com/global/trade/ mondriaantodutchdesign.htm Clockwise from right: Dutch Design Week; Mondrian’s Victory Boogie Woogie; Stedelijk Museum; Theo van Doesburgh’s Design for Leaded Light Window

Arguably the centre of design in Holland, there are plenty of stylish places to visit in this ultra-modern city. This is the home of Design Academy Eindhoven, where students of art, architecture and design from all over the world come to learn from leading experts — it’s no wonder it’s a thriving hub of fresh ideas. There’s a fantastic collection of art from the last century in Van Abbemuseum, or visit Strijp-S to buy from young designers and makers in the former Philips ceramics factory, where Dutch design superstar Piet Hein Eek has opened his new headquarters. For full-on immersion, visit during Dutch Design Week (22 to 30 October 2016), or go for next year’s event from 21 to 29 October — an ‘international edition’ of the design expo which it’s hoped will become a regular event. There’s also a special 70th anniversary exhibition at the Design Academy; dates to be announced.

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ABTA Magazine | May 2016

IMAGES: JEROEN AARTS; JOHN LEWIS MARSHALL

Eindhoven

The Netherlands

The Hague

The Gemeentemuseum contains the world’s largest collection of Mondrian’s work, including his last, unfinished work, Victory Boogie Woogie. The museum also has seminal works by key figures in the De Stijl movement. During the 100-year celebrations, the Gemeentemuseum is holding three important exhibitions: see Piet Mondrian and Bart van der Leck (11 February to 21 May 2017); then there’s Mondrian: A Grand Retrospective (3 June to 24 September). From September to December, visitors can see the De Stijl architecture and interiors exhibition.

Utrecht-Amersfoort

In Amersfoort, it’s possible to visit Mondriaanhuis, the house in which Piet Mondrian was born, and now a museum of his work. In Utrecht, the Centraal Museum holds the largest Rietveld collection in the world. From 4 March to 11 June 2017, it’s mounting Rietveld’s Masterpiece, an exhibition of his work.

Year-round visitors can also see the Rietveld Schroderhuis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site designed and furnished in 1924 by the man himself. Back in Amersfoort, Kunsthal KAdE will be showcasing The Colours of De Stijl from 13 May to 27 August 2017. There will also be an exhibition and a series of lectures focusing on the Gerrit Rietveld Pavilion in Amersfoort, one of three exhibition spaces designed by Rietveld.

IMAGES: JEROEN AARTS; JOHN LEWIS MARSHALL

Amsterdam

With its rich architectural history and space constrictions, Amsterdam has plenty of imaginative structures from celebrated Dutch architects like Rem Koolhaas, Wiel Arets and Ton Alberts. Home to the renowned Gerrit Rietveld Art Academy, it’s a hotbed of new work from talented artists. Take a visit to the international Stedelijk Museum, dedicated to contemporary art and design. It’s organising an open-air museum in Leiden, south of Amsterdam — where Theo van Doesburgh founded De Stijl — in the summer of 2017. The Museum De Lakenhal is presenting Peggy & Nelly: Women of De Stijl in the Rijksmuseum, which will look at the relationship between Peggy Guggenheim and artist Nelly van Doesburg (Cupera), in autumn 2017. countrybycountry.com | ABTA Magazine

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The Netherlands

| experience |

Welcome home, Hieronymus

Jo Fletcher-Cross peels back the layers of ’s-Hertogenbosch to try and understand the work of its most famous son

IMAGE: MIKE BRINK

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’m suspended in mid-air, looking out over a vision of paradise. All I can take in at first is the trees; once my vision adjusts I notice some oddities nestled in the undergrowth.

Then I look down and shriek: I’m sitting on the back of a flying fish.

Heironymus Bosch, the most important artist of the middle ages, died in 1516 and for the 500th anniversary, his home town has gone Bosch bananas, with a whole year of events and exhibitions. As part of the commemorations, the city’s Noordbrabants Museum has curated Bosch: Visions of a Genius, the largest exhibition of his works ever held. It’s only in Den Bosch until May, moving to Madrid’s Museo del Prado after that, but related events will continue right throughout 2016.

I love his surreal mix of fantasy and reality, and decided to take advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the paintings together.

Somehow I end up in the basement of the city hall, looking around at various pieces of memorabilia – Heironymus wine, anyone? A friendly assistant looks up from the till. “You want to do virtual reality,

yes?” I’m ushered into a small dark room, sat down on a glowing cube with an Oculus headset over my eyes and whoosh — off we go to the Garden of Earthly Delights.

Den Bosch is a beautiful place to visit, and it’s surprisingly easy to imagine the master at work. The gothic spires of St John’s Cathedral, where he worshipped, rise up above the town; the flying buttresses are dotted with fantastical sculptures which bear a striking resemblance to many of the grotesque creatures in his paintings. Throughout 2016, it’s possible to climb up to the gutters of the cathedral, 25 metres off the ground, to get up close to the 96 sculptures.

The city is criss-crossed by the Binnendieze, a centuries-old system of subterranean watercourses.

Visitors can cruise along these waterways in an open boat, and for 2016 the experience is dedicated to — you guessed it — Heironymus Bosch. The route meanders past imposing fortifications, ancient facades and atmospheric cellars, as well as a fine and rather comical collection of Bosch-inspired statues.

From top: Den Bosch; Bosch’s The Haywain Triptych

It’s possible to experience his artworks year-round, by proxy at least, by heading for the Hieronymus Bosch Art Center, a converted church which houses photographic reproductions of all the works. A glass elevator whisks visitors up 40 metres to the top of the building for panoramic views. Gaze down and wonder how a man living in this small town 500 years ago came up with some of the most extraordinary paintings of all time. I can’t claim to have got inside his imagination, but immersing myself in this charming, quirky place has helped me peel back a few layers of mystery. bosch500.nl/en

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The Netherlands

| at a glance |

Eindhoven About

Eindhoven is the historic home of electronics giant Philips, which was founded there in 1891. Although it left the city in 1997, the legacy of being the headquarters of a technical giant lives on: it’s a major world player in the industrial design and tech wizardry scene and is considered to be the heart of Dutch design. It’s actually one of the oldest towns in the Netherlands, but looks ultra-modern — it’s not pretty but it’s vibrant and friendly

Hotel

Ultra-trendy Strijp-S, on the former Philips factory site, has plenty of distinctive industrial buildings, crammed with cool businesses. In the Klokgebouw, one of the most striking landmarks in the area, is the Blue Collar Hotel, featuring both a hostel and a hotel complete with themed suites. The stripped back space of the hotel bar and lounge is a cool space for drinks and food, under the watchful eyes of a giant portrait of Motorhead’s Lemmy.

Restaurant

Dinner, drinks, culture: all on the menu at Kazerne. The food is Mediterranean-style, with fresh, seasonal ingredients, but it’s not all about eating. Housed in a former military police barracks, it also contains its own exhibition space, meeting rooms and labs for artists and designers to work on crossover projects between the creative industries and sectors. Founders Annemoon Geurts and Koen Rijnbeek are truly passionate about Dutch design and it comes across in every tiny detail.

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ABTA Magazine | May 2016

From top right: Van Abbemuseum; Pastry Club; Van Gogh cycle path; Blue Collar Hotel

Attraction

The Van Abbemuseum was founded in 1936 and focuses on modern and contemporary art. Its exciting and eclectic collection includes work by Picasso, Kandinsky, Lissitzky, Rodin, Chagall and Beuys. A stunning new wing, designed by Dutch architect Abel Cahen, provides a stimulating environment in which to view the imaginatively curated exhibitions.

The heart of the building is a 27m high tower with inward-sloping walls, onto which every floor opens out, providing glimpses of other parts of the gallery.

Café

Pastry Club is housed in De Machinekamer, an ex-factory in Strijp-S and offers all the best things in life: a patisserie, chocolaterie, confiserie, tea salon and ice cream parlour. Courses and workshops are available; or just sit back and relax with a delectable sweet creation and enjoy the surroundings, before buying some chocolate to take home.

Outdoors

Eindhoven is extremely bike friendly. For a spectacular ride, head just east of the city to the Van Gogh-Roosegaarde cycle path. Part of the Van Gogh cycling route, which connects locations in Brabant, where he was born and raised, the path links the Opwettense and Colse watermills, which feature in his paintings. The surface is coated with a special paint which glows in the dark using energy gathered during the day; when night falls, the path is illuminated with patterns based on his painting The Starry Night. thisiseindhoven.nl/en

IMAGE: ALAMY

A city of high-tech innovation, Eindhoven is an international design superstar with a cosmopolitan vibe