Van Gogh Museum Journal 2000 bron Van Gogh Museum Journal 2000. Waanders, Zwolle 2000 Zie voor verantwoording: http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_van012200001_01/colofon.php © 2012 dbnl / Rijksmuseum Vincent Van Gogh 7 Director's foreword The opening of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris in 1986 rekindled a long-running debate here in the Netherlands about the desirability of founding an equivalent Dutch museum for the 19th century. Various arguments for and against were aired in the press and in scholarly journals. The level of interest was such that in 1989 the University of Amsterdam organised a symposium entitled ‘The Dutch museum of the 19th century: utopian dream or reality?’ There was discussion about the exact period the new museum might cover, and whether or not it should be confined to the fine arts or should include the decorative arts and architecture as well. Different sites were proposed - in The Hague and in Amsterdam - and it was suggested that the collections of various museums, including the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk and the Museum Mesdag, could be pooled to create this new institution. These discussions were not just fuelled by intellectual curiosity. There were real practical concerns about the inadequate display of 19th-century art in the Netherlands. At the time this period was not a priority for either of the two main art museums in Amsterdam, the Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk, although both could boast important holdings in the area. Many works were said to be hidden in the depots, and there was certainly no clear logic to the distribution and display of the works of art from this period. The debate was fervent and coloured with idealism, but in truth there was no real prospect of creating a grand new museum of the 19th century along the lines of the Musée d'Orsay. In an interview in 1988, the minister of culture, Elko Brinkman had made government's position clear: ‘A new museum for the 19th century [...] is not a priority. It may not be spectacular, but we are going to have to enter the new century with what we have. I am not on the look out for any grands travaux [...].’ As we slip into the new millennium, it is clear that we are not only managing with what we have, but managing very well indeed. Across the country, the display of 19th-century art has improved dramatically in the past decade or so. The renovation and new installations in a range of museums - for example, the Gemeentemuseum and the Museum Mesdag in The Hague - allow the art of the 1800s to be appreciated in different settings and stimulating contexts. And here on the Museumplein in Amsterdam the new division of responsibility between the collections of the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk, which we reported on in last year's Journal, makes sensible use of the national collections. The reopening of the expanded Van Gogh Museum in 1999 confirmed our position as the foremost museum of the 19th century in the Netherlands. The Dutch museum of the 19th century may have taken on a different form than some people envisaged in the late 1980s, but there can be little doubt that it now has a vibrant existence. The acquisitions, the research and the exhibitions reported on in this volume of the Van Gogh Museum Journal are evidence of our effort to promote the knowledge and awareness of the art of the 19th century in general and Van Gogh in particular. Although the holdings of our museum provide the starting point, the Journal is open to contributions that touch on all aspects of our area of interest. This year the Journal is largely devoted to the papers presented at a symposium held here in July 1999, to accompany the Theo van Gogh exhibition. I am very grateful to the speakers for reworking their papers for publication and to all the authors for their distinguished contributions. As with previous volumes, the Journal has benefited greatly from the Van Gogh Museum Journal 2000 skilful attention and care of our managing editor, Rachel Esner. I am also grateful to our new Head of Research, Leo Jansen, and to Sjraar van Heugten, Head of Collections, for their work on the editorial board, and to Benno Tempel for gathering the material for reproductions. Finally, I would repeat my previous invitation to outside authors for contributions to future issues of the Van Gogh Museum Journal. Your comments and proposals are most welcome. John Leighton Director Van Gogh Museum Journal 2000 8 fig. 1 Camille Pissarro, Still life with peonies and mock orange, 1872-74 and 1876-77, Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Sara Lee Corporation Millennium Gift Van Gogh Museum Journal 2000 9 Review August 1999 -July 2000 Introduction After the successful completion of the building programme and the reopening in June 1999, work at the Van Gogh Museum has returned to a more normal pace. Following the many hectic months of preparation, planning and work that went into the development of a new exhibition wing and the renovation of the existing building, the museum has at last been able to give its full attention to its core business: looking after the collection and serving the public. In many respects this has been an excellent 12 months for the Van Gogh Museum. The rejuvenated museum has enjoyed a record attendance. At the time of writing, we have welcomed over 1.5 million visitors since the reopening. We have been able to offer these visitors improved service on all fronts, as well as a wider range of educational materials to enhance their enjoyment and understanding of the displays. The new building has continued to attract international attention, and it has been a delight to observe how the architecture has provided a stunning setting for a variety of exhibitions. The welcome support of the Vincent van Gogh Foundation has enabled us to make a spectacular acquisition of an entire collection of late 19th- and early 20th-century prints. And, less visible but equally important, the museum has continued to support an active programme of research into Van Gogh and 19th-century art. The collection The bulk of the permanent collection on display at the Van Gogh Museum is on loan from the Vincent van Gogh Foundation. The museum works in partnership with the foundation not just to conserve the collection for the enjoyment of future generations but also to expand it through new additions. The Vincent van Gogh Foundation has helped with a great many acquisitions in our history, but this year it made its most impressive contribution to date with the purchase of a collection of over 800 prints, mainly by artists associated with the Nabis group. From its origins in the works assembled by Vincent and Theo van fig. 2 Third floor of the Rietveld building with Kees van Dongen's Blue dress, purchased in 1999 with the support of the Dutch Sponsor Lottery Van Gogh Museum Journal 2000 Gogh, the collection has always represented works on paper, but this acquisition gives an important new core to the holdings of graphic art, and allows us to present some of the most exciting developments in printmaking in the later 19th century. The newly acquired pieces include the majority of the best Nabis prints made in Paris between 1890 and 1905, with superb works by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard, Maurice Denis and Félix Vallotton. Assembled over many years by a private collector, the prints are generally of the highest quality and in excellent condition. A selection of highlights from the collection was shown on the second floor of the Rietveld building this past summer, and a number of works are reproduced in this volume of the Van Gogh Museum Journal (see also colour plates pp. 114-19). Another important acquisition, also published in this Journal, is the gift of Camille Pissarro's Still life with peonies and mock orange from the Sara Lee Corporation. In Van Gogh Museum Journal 2000 10 fig. 3 Edouard Vuillard, Paysages et intérieurs: la pâtisserie, 1899, Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum (Vincent van Gogh Foundation) an unprecedented and enlightened act of generosity, the company has given away the lion's share of its impressive art holdings to 40 different museums across the world, from Chicago to Singapore. The Van Gogh Museum is proud to have been selected as a beneficiary for part of this millennium gift, and we are delighted to add the first oil painting by Pissarro to the permanent collection (see also colour plate p. 120). As well as displaying our collection here in Amsterdam, the Van Gogh Museum has lent generously to museums and exhibitions both in this country and abroad. Of particular note this year was the museum's major contribution to Van Gogh: face to face (on show at The Detroit Institute of Arts; The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and The Philadelphia Museum of Art), and to the Van Gogh exhibition organised by Ronald Pickvance for the Gianadda Foundation in Martigny in Switzerland. Closer to home, in last year's Journal we reported on a series of exchanges with the Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk Museum. This programme has continued, with Whistler's Portrait of Effie Deans arriving on loan from the Rijksmuseum. Another initiative - a long-term loan of a group of paintings by Van Gogh to enrich the displays at the Rijksmuseum Twenthe - had to be postponed when the museum was badly damaged in a horrendous explosion at a nearby fireworks depot in May of this year. We wish our colleagues in Enschede every success in their efforts to restore and reopen their building to the public.