Partnerships 2012-2013

Amsterdam Rotterdam Paris Antwerp Cologne

Amsterdam and its romantic canals

A romantic capital with the appeal of a village, Amsterdam is famous for its canals and museums. While etaining its human scale, this city has all the advantages of a metropolis: cultural activities, history and numerous museums. The most famous of these are the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh museum and the Stedelijk. Whether you’re on a bike or on foot, you’ll love delving into its alleyways and you’ll enjoy a really great stay there.

VINCENT - The Van Gogh Museum in The Hermitage Amsterdam Hermitage Amsterdam Amstel 51 1018 Amsterdam Tel : +31 (0)20 530 74 88 www.hermitage.nl

During its temporary stay in the Hermitage Amsterdam (while the building on Museumplein is temporarily closed to the public for essential renovation work) the Van Gogh Museum will exhibit works by Vincent van Gogh (1853- 1890) from its permanent collection in a completely new way. In this display of some 75 paintings, selected letters, objects and works on paper, visitors will follow Vincent van Gogh on a personal quest into the heart of his artistic identity. The themes that the artist himself identified as central to his development will form the basis of the exhibition "Vincent". Many major paintings will be included, such as Sunflowers, The Bedroom, Almond blossom, The potato eaters and The yellow house, in surprising combinations of early and late works. Van Gogh’s most famous and best loved paintings will be shown side by side with lesser known works in closely integrated thematic pairings.

Partner offer valid from 29 September 2012 to 25 April 2013 A matroska doll of Vincent Van Gogh to pick up at the shop of the museum, when you show your Thalys ticket or the reservation confirmation email.

Rotterdam, a trendy and dynamic port

Rotterdam’s new image is that of a trendy and rapidly expanding city. As a member of the artistic avant-garde with regard to architecture and the fine arts, this is the perfect destination if you’re into architecture and design. To get an idea of Dutch architecture, go and see the spectacular Pont Erasme, the original cube houses, the old houses in the Delfshave district etc. And if it’s museums you’re after, don’t miss the Kunsthal Rotterdam, the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen and the Fotomuseum.

The Road to Van Eyck - Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Museumpark 18-20 3015 Rotterdam www.boijmans.nl

At the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, discover the exhibition "The Road to Van Eyck" with more than eighty masterpieces by Dutch, French and German masters from circa 1400. A collection of extremely fragile paintings, sculptures, metalwork, illuminated manuscripts and drawings by some of Europe's most famous artists, including Jan van Eyck, Jean Malouel and the Master of Saint Veronica, from collections in the United States and Europe will be on display in Rotterdam. This is the first and probably the last time such an exhibition will be organised due the fragility of the works in question. "The Road to Van Eyck" offers some insight as to what and who inspired the work of Jan van Eyck and how he developed his revolutionary and realistic style.

Partner offer valid from 13 October 2012 to 10 February 2013 Admission €14 instead of €16.50 on presentation of your Thalys ticket or email confirmation of your booking.

Boijmans Van Beuningen Museumpark 18-20 3015 CX Rotterdam www.boijmans.nl

From Bosch to Goya to Magritte: Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is showing its impressive collection of European painting in a totally new light. For a period of two years the collection will be enriched with masterpieces on loan from collections in the Netherlands and abroad. The Collection Enriched affords a unique opportunity to view the finest paintings from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century.

Partner offer valid until 01 April 2013 Entry costs €10 (instead of €12.50) when you show your Thalys ticket or the reservation confirmation email at reception.

Rotterdam Welcome Card VVV Rotterdam Store Coolsingel 5, +31 10 271 01 20 www.rotterdam.info

You will undoubtedly know Rotterdam as the biggest port in Europe. But there is much more to Rotterdam. Discover a new standard of hospitality in the most dynamic city in the Netherlands. The Welcome Card offers: o 25% off and more at 50 attractions, museums, restaurants and various places of entertainment o 1, 2 or 3 days of unlimited travel on metro, tram and bus lines (RET public transport network)

Partner offer valid from 13 October 2012 to 10 February 2013 25% reduction on the price of the Rotterdam Welcome Card on simple presentation of your Thalys ticket or the reservation confirmation email

Paris, both fabled and fashionable

The Paris we see in postcards is the one its visitors dream about. Its inimitable sights include the banks of the River Seine, Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. And besides these symbolic locations, it also has 173 museums, 200 churches and 465 parks. Strolling through its winding streets and wide avenues will give you an opportunity to discover this centre of fashion and gastronomy. Whatever your tastes, whatever the season and whatever the time of day, there’s always something to see in the City of Light

The sources of aborigene painting - Musée du Quai Branly Musée du Quai Branly 37 quai Branly 75007 Paris Tel : +33 (0)1 56 61 70 00 www.quaibranly.fr

Continuing its policy of introducing the arts of Australia, which the museum began when it first opened, notably by ordering the aboriginal ceilings that decorate the Université building, the Musée du Quai Branly is presenting, for the first time in Europe, a major artistic movement born in 1971 in the heart of the central Australian desert.

By transposing the motifs of ephemeral ritual paintings to recycled wooden panels, the Aborigine artists of Papunya created an astonishingly inventive formal art, saturated with meaning. These works changed the way the territory is perceived and how the history of Australian art is understood. Painted on pieces of recycled panels, the first works were striking in their raw intensity, the fullness of their strokes and their visual energy. Taking on the challenge of new materials - pencils, brushes, enamel and acrylic paints - the artists transposed their archetypal drawings to rectangular and square panels. These first paintings, few in number, made an ephemeral art once associated with ceremonial sites palpable and permanent, investing the paintings with ritual and solemn power.

With more than 200 paintings and nearly 70 objects, the exhibition presents the iconographical and spiritual sources of the Papunya Tula movement and traces its development from the first panels to the large canvases of the early 1980s.

Partner offer valid from 09 October 2012 to 20 January 2013 Entry costs €5 (instead of €7) when you show your Thalys ticket or the reservation confirmation email and 10% off for any purchase at the Café Branly.

Cooking and Eating in China - Musée du Quai Branly Musée du Quai Branly 37 quai Branly 75007 Paris Tel : +33 (0)1 56 61 70 00 www.quaibranly.fr

At the Quai Branly Museum the exhibition Les Séductions du Palais, Cuisiner et manger en Chine (The Chinese Banquet: Nine Millennia of Cooking, Eating and Drinking) presents Chinese table traditions through a hundred objects mainly from the National Museum of China along with a selection of works from the Musée des Arts Asiatiques – Guimet. Cuisine, tableware and table manners are evoked during a chronological and geographical path. Organised around changes in techniques, the exhibition presents an overview of Chinese history and culture through different types of tableware: bronze, ceramics, lacquered ware, gold and silver, porcelain… As a civilisation process that has been in motion for nearly 7,000 years, “cooking and eating in China” cannot be restricted to a chronicle of everyday behaviour through a batch of objects. The exhibition also focuses on different inventions (pasta, for example, or the introduction of tea) and various foods and preparations.

Partner offer from 19 June to 30 September 2012 Entry costs €5 (instead of €7) when you show your Thalys ticket or the reservation confirmation email and 10% off for any purchase at the Café Branly. .

Through an open window - Art contemporain de la collection de Rabobank Institut Néerlandais 121 rue de Lille 75007 Paris France Tel : 00 33 (0)1 53 59 12

The Institut Néerlandais is presenting the finest works from the Rabo Art Collection for the first time in France. The collection features works from 40 artists from different generations, countries and movements.

The art department at the Dutch bank Rabobank follows the work of several generations of artists from the 1950s through to the present day, from Karel Appel to Desiree Dolron and Marlène Dumas. The bank has one of the largest contemporary art collections in the Netherlands.

The title of the exhibition, “Through an Open Window”, is the name of a Karel Appel sculpture in the collection and also a concise summary of the Rabo Art Collection’s approach to contemporary creation, focused on conceptual art, commitment and the human condition.

Partner advantage from 13 September to 04 November 2012 Entry costs 2€ (instead of €4) when you show your Thalys ticket or the reservation confirmation email.

Canaletto in Venice - Musée Maillol Musée Maillol 61 rue de Grenelle 75007 Paris France Tel : 00 33 (0)1 42 22 59

The Musée Maillol pays homage to Venice with the first exhibition devoted exclusively to Canaletto’s Venetian works. The exhibition will be presented in partnership with the Foundation of Venice Civic Museums which is preparing to put on a Francesco Guardi retrospective at the Correr Museum in Venice to mark the 300th anniversary of that Venetian painter’s birth.

Canaletto in Venice will be an exclusive occasion for visitors to enjoy the master’s vision of his city, brought to life through his paintbrush. Along the canals we discover places, islands, squares and monuments, views of a city that still retains its 18th-century charm. The Venetian painter certainly didn’t invent the veduta, or detailed cityscape, a genre that has ancient origins, but he helped to develop it by giving his paintings a modernity that allowed him to overtake his masters.

The exhibition will bring together more than 50 carefully selected works, from the greatest museums and some historic private collections. On display too will be his drawings and also the famous sketchbook from about 1731, a rare loan by the Gabinetto dei Disegni e Stampe Gallerie the Cabinet of Prints and Drawings of the Accademia Gallery in Venice, which will be displayed open but which can be fully explored on computers.

Partner advantage From 19 September 2012 to 10 February 2013 Entry €9 (instead of €11) and a 5% discount at the museum bookshop when you show your Thalys ticket or booking confirmation email.

Galeries Lafayette

40 boulevard Haussmann 75009 Paris From 9.30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays to Saturdays. Late night opening until 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Metro: lines 7, 9 - station Chaussée d’Antin-La Fayette www.galerieslafayette.com

Located in the heart of Paris, the flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann is considered as the second most visited attraction after the Louvre, but also the world’s leading department store, with more than 80,000 visitors per day and 70,000 square meters of sale’s area.

Graced by a neo-byzantine dome built in 1912, Galeries Lafayette offers a large selection of items in every segment, from fashion to accessories, from beauty to home decoration and fine food. Partner advantage valid until 31 December 2012 10% off purchases for Thalys ticket holders or the reservation confirmation email. Before shopping, you need to collect your discount card at the reception desk, on the ground floor of the main store. Not valid for services, food, items marked with a red dot and certain promotional items.

Brussels, capital of Europe and capital of contrasts

A friendly and multi-cultural place, you’ll be captivated by the capital city of Europe and of Belgium, whatever you’re looking for! From Mannekenpis to the Atomium, and not forgetting the Grand Place, you’ll be amazed by this city of a thousand faces. The working-class neighbourhoods and hundred year old houses are located just a few metres from the fashionable districts and futuristic buildings. The modern city and the European Quarter both share a sense of the Brussels spirit, which combines surreal humour and a warm welcome, all washed down with beer (and not forgetting its famous chocolates and waffles!) Belgian art - A modern century - Musée d’Ixelles Musée d’Ixelles Rue Jean Van Volsem 71 1050 Brussels Tel : 0032 (0)2 515 64 21 www.museumofixelles.be

The exhibition "Belgian art. A modern century" presents an exclusive selection of unique and prestigious works from the private Belgian collection of Caroline & Maurice Verbaet.

Paintings, sculptures and graphic works invite us to discover, or rather rediscover, Belgian art through the eyes of two remarkably sharp collectors. Taking an unusual standpoint, the exhibition focuses on visual confrontations and unexpected artistic reconciliations. It offers an original insight into twentieth century Belgian art and the concept of modernity.

Belgian art. A modern century: an impressive collection, a unique exhibition and an unconventional exploration of modern art in Belgium!

Partner offer valid from 11 October 2012 to 20 January 2013 Entry costs 5€ (instead of 7€) when you show your Thalys ticket or the reservation confirmation email.

Jordaens and the Antique - Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique Rue du Musée 9 1000 Brussels Tel : 0032(0)2 508 32 11 www.fine-arts-museum.be

After the successful exhibition Rubens: A Genius at Work, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium are planning, in association with the Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel, a major exhibition on Jordaens and the Antique. Of the well-known Flemish trio “Rubens-Van Dyck-Jordaens,” Jacques Jordaens has been studied the least. Until now he was considered a middle-class painter whose clientele was unfamiliar with humanism. However, the exhibition shows another side of the artist - namely his strategic choice of themes from antiquity, a domain in which he was often wrongly perceived as a slavish follower of Rubens.

With the masterpieces of Jordaens preserved in Brussels and Kassel, the exhibition presents nearly 120 paintings, drawings, tapestries and sculptures from major museums and little-known private collections.

Partner offer valid from 12 October 2012 to 27 January 2013 Entry costs 6,50€ (instead of €9) when you show your Thalys ticket or the reservation confirmation email.

Constant Permeke – Retrospective BOZAR BOZAR Rue Ravenstein 23 1000 Brussels Tel : +32 (0)2 507 84 80 www.bozar.be

The last major retrospective devoted to Constant Permeke took place in in 2004, so it is high time for a tribute to this distinctive Flemish expressionist. Permeke, who died sixty years ago in Ostend, had a unique empathy with the hard lives of fishermen and peasants, working people with an intimate bond with the land and the sea. By enlargement and abstraction, Permeke created archetypes with a universal character.

An impressive selection of 130 paintings, drawings, and sculptures, including many key works, reveals every facet of Permeke’s oeuvre: female nudes, land and sea, fishermen and peasants in their everyday lives. Believing that Permeke deserves wider international recognition alongside his contemporaries, BOZAR intends to take this retrospective far beyond the borders of Belgium. New landscapes by Thierry De Cordier and nudes by Marlene Dumas underline Permeke’s contemporary relevance.

Partner offer valid from 11 October 2012 to 20 January 2013 Entry costs 7,50€ (instead of €10) when you show your Thalys ticket or the reservation confirmation email.

Antwerp, a multi-faceted city

While more than half the world’s diamonds pass through Antwerp, Europe’s second largest port is also an architectural gem and a genuine reference point for fashion creators and artists. If culture is your thing, you’ll be able to come and discover the prestigious past of the town in which Rubens was born through its various museums. And if you’re a shopaholic you won’t be able to resist its numerous boutiques and shopping streets. During your visit, don’t miss the diamond museum and the famous zoo

MAS – Museum Aan de Stroom MAS | Museum Aan de Stroom Hanzestedenplaats 1 2000 Antwerp www.mas.be From Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Located on the banks of the Scheldt, Antwerp is a port city where ideas and populations have mingled for centuries. The Museum Aan de Stroom tells the story of this lively, creative and unique metropolitan hub. Come discover this prestigious inaugural exhibition at the MAS! MASTERPIECES IN THE MAS. Five centuries of images in Antwerp examines the history of Western visual culture through a collection of works by old masters and contemporary artists.

Partner offer valid until 31 December 2012 Reduced price for the combined ticket “Permanent collections + Temporary exhibition": €8 instead of €10, on presentation of the downloadable voucher.

Cologne, 2,000 years of history

Cologne’s past has ensured myriad historic treasures: Roman towers, Gothic churches and medieval houses, as well as modern architecture. Besides its monuments, Cologne also has various museums, including the MAK Museum of Applied Art and Museum Ludwig. And when you’re out and about, you’ll be able to choose between all sorts of brasseries, nightclubs, jazz venues and small galleries. Celebrated for 2,000 years, Cologne Carnival is the must-see event of the year!

1912 - Mission Moderne - Wallraf Museum Wallraf das Museum Obenmarspforten 50667 Cologne Tel : +49(0)221 22121 119 www.wallraf.museum

Almost 100 years ago Cologne was host to what clearly was the single most important presentation of European Modernism. Entitled the “Sonderbund Exhibition”, the show in summer 1912 charted the developments in the latest movements in painting and the plastic arts.

This unique exhibition brought together an abundance of masters that would be quite inconceivable today, including Cézanne, Gauguin, Macke, Munch, Nolde, Picasso, Schiele, Signac and van Gogh. The spectrum of the works ranged from Postimpressionism to German Expressionism – the young painters of die Brücke and the Blauer Reiter. With “1912 – Mission Moderne“, the Wallraf celebrates the centenary of the original exhibition by taking a spectacular look back at the Sonderbund’s show.

With over 100 masterpieces that were all exhibited on the occasion, the original goals and focuses of the exhibition will all be reconstructed. The Wallraf will bring back to light the fundamental trends that held sway at the dawn of the 20th century art.

Partner offer valid from 31 August to 30 December 2012 Admission 10 € (instead of 12 €) on presentation of Thalys ticket or the reservation confirmation email.

David Hockney - A Bigger Picture - Museum Ludwig Museum Ludwig Heinrich-Böll-Platz 50667 Cologne Tel : +49(0)221 22126 165 www.museum-ludwig.de David Hockney’s swimming pool paintings are among the most popular image formulas of the 1960s. As one of the shining figures of ‘Swinging ’ and chronicler of the cool California way of life, David Hockney is world famous. But it is also thanks to his sensitive portraits, masterful still lifes and landscapes, photo collages, stage sets, and intelligent appropriation of art historical phenomena that he has held his position as one of the most important contemporary artists. His multi-faceted and incredibly fresh work is always full of surprises. Whereas in California Hockney had already absorbed the perception of space and the wide landscape in his panoramic pictures of the Grand Canyon among others, in the recent past, landscape painting has taken center stage in his creative process. Since his return from Los Angeles to rural East Yorkshire, a process begun in 1997 and finalized 2005, when Hockney settled down permanently in the coastal town of Bridlington with its hinterland of forests and agriculture, he has been creating uncounted landscapes. Mostly painted directly from nature, they provide the viewer with an unhindered approach. At the same time they exhibit a highly sophisticated finesse.

Parallel to traditional painting, Hockney has been experimenting with screen drawings he has been fabricating with the aid of iPhone-App “Brushes” for a while now. At first done on the touchscreen of his smartphones and meanwhile on his iPad, these images are strikingly lively. Intensely luminous on the screens, their large printouts make up an essential part of the exhibition. In addition, Hockney has most recently turned to producing impressive multi-focus films in a filming technique he has developed, and in which a projection onto nine connected monitors provides a unique viewing experience. In its complexity, the exhibition shows an artist who gives totally new impulses to the classical theme of landscape. What resonates in all these works is a deep commitment and love to the visual world and towards the beauty of things.

Partner advantage valid from 27 October 2012 to 03 February 2013 Admission 7.50 € (instead of 10 €) on presentation of Thalys ticket or the reservation confirmation email.