SURINAMESE SCHOOL ting from Pain o to Amsterdam arib am ar P READER Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam Preface p. 4-5 Rein Wolfs Essay p. 6-9, The Development of the Surinamese School Exhibition Bart Krieger & Claire van Els p. 10-13, A Different Angle on the Photography of the Curiel Sisters Jessica de Abreu p. 14-17, In Search of “Ownness”. Critical Questions Based on the Work of Bos Verschuur, Hatterman and Baag Mitchell Esajas p. 18-21, The Power of the Museum Label Ellen de Vries with Eline de Jong p. 22-23, The Surinamese School Exhibition: an Impulse for the Future Carlien Lammers & Inez Blanca van der Scheer Biography p. 24-25 Selected Bibliography p. 26-31 Exhibition Texts & Floor Plan p. 32-85 Credits p. 86-87 PREFACE In the coming years, the Stedelijk Museum aims to develop into an institution guided not only by art and artists but also by social and socio-political developments—and, in a broader sense, by the public. Contextualizing developments in society through art is a way of bringing to the fore the framework within which art is manifested. The Surinamese School exhibition reflects this intention. It features work by 35 artists dating roughly from 1910 to 1985, and examines the contributions of individual artists as well as thematic developments in Surinamese painting. Works by Nola Hatterman and Armand Baag from the Stedelijk collection are also presented in a context that is new to the museum. Surinamese School thus focuses on an art history that is intertwined with that of the Netherlands, giving it a unique place in the program. About 25 years ago the Stedelijk presented Twenty Years of Visual Art in Suriname, 1975-1995. This exhibition was curated by Chandra van Binnendijk and Paul Faber and traveled from the Surinaams Museum in Paramaribo to Amsterdam. Moreover, the exhibition complements the various critical projects that are included in the current program, such as In the Presence of Absence (2020–2021) and, scheduled for 2021, Kirchner and Nolde. STEDELIJK MUSEUM AMSTERDAM Expressionism. Colonialism. With respect to the future of the collection, which will form a key source for new programming, the museum is also planning to acquire a number of paintings by Surinamese artists. This ambition is in line with the new vision on the collection. Caribbean art is also being considered in the development of new ideas for future exhibitions. I would like to express my appreciation to the working group of in-house and guest curators responsible for the Surinamese School exhibition: Jessica de Abreu, Claire van Els, Mitchell Esajas, Bart Krieger, Carlien Lammers, Inez Blanca van der Scheer and Ellen de Vries. In their particularly close collaboration, they have made optimum use of their knowledge of Surinamese art and history and of their network of artists and collectors, and have developed an inclusive way of working 4 PREFACE together that is new to the museum and points an important way to the future that has already proved its value. I would also like to thank the lenders in Suriname and the Netherlands for their cooperation with the exhibition, and I am grateful to adviser Chandra van Binnendijk for her role in the project. In Suriname, the team has also been supported by Aruna Mungra, and both in Suriname and the Netherlands many experts, artists, collectors, cultural institutions, and galleries have shared their knowledge and networks, and thereby made an important contribution to the realization of the exhibition. I would like to thank everyone concerned and hope to continue the cooperation in the future. SURINAMESE SCHOOL Rein Wolfs Director Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam PREFACE 5 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SURINAMESE SCHOOL EXHIBITION Bart Krieger & Claire van Els Like any other form of creative production, independent researcher and biographer of Nola the exhibition format has a start point, a Hatterman.2 The decision was taken to broaden developmental phase, and an end result. the concept of the exhibition to encompass STEDELIJK MUSEUM AMSTERDAM Putting together an exhibition involves taking developments in Surinamese painting from decisions on a range of matters, prompted by around 1910 to the mid-1980s, in which research, reflection, discussion, and pragmatic artists such as George Gerhardus Theodorus considerations. This essay focuses on the Rustwijk, Wim Bos Verschuur, Nola Hatterman, creation of Surinamese School to provide Quintus Jan Telting, Armand Baag, Jules Chin insights into the central considerations during A Foeng and Rihana Jamaludin had all played what is in many regards an exceptional project their part. for the Stedelijk Museum. Many of the sitters for portraits by Since 2017 the Stedelijk has been Amsterdam-born artist Nola Hatterman were making ongoing and concerted efforts to take Surinamese. She is one of the first female specific works in its collection as departure artists whose work the Stedelijk collected from points for broadening the gaze on geographical an early stage in her career, in this case from regions to which the museum had hitherto the 1930s. The museum owns nine paintings rarely, or never, devoted attention. In 2018, and three works on paper by Hatterman, all of for example, the independent curator and which were made before the artist emigrated researcher Kerstin Winking presented The to Suriname in 1953. The collection does not Djaya Brothers: Revolusi in the Stedelijk, include any pre-war works by Surinamese an exhibition on Agus and Otto Djaya, two artists—the first was Het magische oog (“The Indonesian brothers whose work has been magic eye,” 1963) by Erwin de Vries, which part of the museum’s collection since 1947.1 the Stedelijk acquired in 1963. Hatterman The starting point for the Surinamese School was not Surinamese by birth3 and her work exhibition was a proposal by Ellen de Vries, an in the collection would have been too mono- 6 ESSAY dimensional and limited to serve as a basis for was an essential component of the project that this exhibition. For this reason, the museum shaped the concept of the exhibition and the assembled a working group of guest curators to selection of individual works. broaden and deepen research into Surinamese In both countries, the focus of the art. External experts Jessica de Abreu, Mitchell research soon closed in on private collections Esajas, Bart Krieger, and Ellen de Vries joined and estates, many of which were managed forces with the Stedelijk’s Claire van Els, by family members. Dutch public institutions Carlien Lammers, and Inez Blanca van der own relatively few 20th-century Surinamese Scheer to work on the concept and execution paintings.6 Although Suriname has no of the exhibition.4 The make-up of this working dedicated museum of fine arts, Paramaribo’s group made it possible to reflect on the content Surinaams Museum, which was founded in and meaning of Surinamese art and art 1947, has a broad historical collection and a history—in Suriname, the Netherlands, and modest but interesting collection of paintings. elsewhere—from the perspective of various Another organization to have built up a professional and personal areas of interest collection of modern painting by Surinamese and experience. Several of the guest curators and other artists is Sticusa, a nonprofit founded in this working group with roots in Dutch, in 1948 to stimulate and promote cultural Surinamese and Caribbean communities, activities between Indonesia, the Dutch put forward their in-depth knowledge of the Antilles, Suriname, and the Netherlands.7 shared cultural heritage of Suriname and the Part of the Suriname state collection Netherlands, and its significance in the Dutch is on display at the presidential palace, and context. The working group received advice on two paintings from this collection, by Rinaldo the exhibition concept and accompanying texts Klas and Paul Woei, are included in the by independent writer and editor Chandra van exhibition. Numerous renowned artists are Binnendijk, who lives and works in Paramaribo. also represented in corporate collections SURINAMESE SCHOOL Van Binnendijk and Paul Faber organized such as those belonging to De Surinaamsche Twenty Years of Visual Art in Suriname, 1975– Bank (DSB) and the Central Bank of Suriname 1995, an exhibition in Paramaribo in 1995– (CBvS) in Paramaribo. They include artworks 1996 that travelled to the Stedelijk Museum in from Erwin de Vries, Robbert Doelwijt, Cliff 1996–1997 and was presented with additions San A Jong, and Soeki Irodikromo. And by Rudi Fuchs.5 A Surinamese partner or a the fact that Surinamese paintings could guest curator living in Suriname would be a been traced, presented, and collected is complement to any future exhibition project, furthermore thanks to disparate components and it would be important for the exhibition to of Paramaribo’s cultural infrastructure be mounted in both countries. such as Nationale Kunstbeurs, Readytex The working group of guest curators set Art Gallery, Gallery Eegi Du, as well as the about studying the broader developments in former Galerie Nola Hatterman and Galerie Surinamese painting through the activities of Srefidensi in Amsterdam, and the activities in artists such as George Gerhardus Theodorus the Netherlands of the likes of Galerie 23, CBK Rustwijk, Wim Bos Verschuur, Leo Glans and Zuidoost, CBK Oost, Natasha Knoppel Art Govert Jan Telting. It was an ambitious plan Galleries and Kunstgalerij Lenten. As part of that had to be completed in a limited amount the broader exhibition project, the Stedelijk is of time. The lack of balance in the Stedelijk’s intending to acquire several works to ensure past collecting policy meant the museum’s a future in which Surinamese art has collection could not serve as a reference or a permanent and visible presence in its departure point for the curation of a historic displays.