in this issue about codart 2 Bringing back the muse 3 curator’s news & notes A special session on attribution: A partnership between codart and the rkd 4 Jan Provoost in Genoa and Florence 6 Drawings xl 7 17 codart collections Dutch and Flemish art at Glasgow University 8 Deaccession of an “orphaned” collection in Maastricht 10 Flemish silver in the Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Spinola in Genoa 12 curator’s case codart, let’s get modern! 14 friend’s interview A codart Maecenas: Benefactor and partner 16 curator’s interview Hanna Benesz, interviewed by Ruud Priem 18 codart activities 20 faits divers 22 codart members and news 23 upcoming exhibitions 24 Winter 2008 Winter Courant codart 2 codart is the international council for codart Maecenases and Hoekema has been mayor of Wassenaar curators of Dutch and Flemish art. Its aim is corporate sponsors since July 2007. He was previously director to further the study, the care, the accessibility The European Fine Arts Fair (tefaf), Helvoirt of research, education and culture and and the display of art from the Low Countries Hoogsteder & Hoogsteder, The Hague ambassador for international cooperation at in museums worldwide. codart serves as new The Leiden Gallery, New York the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2003-07), a platform for exchange and cooperation The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and a member of parliament for the d66 party between curators from different parts of the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische (1994-2002). Hoekema serves as a board or world, with different levels of experience and Documentatie (rkd), The Hague committee member for various cultural from different types and sizes of institutions. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam institutions such as dod Amsterdam, codart stimulates international inter- Vlaamse Kunstcollectie (Koninklijk Museum the supervisory committee of the Hanze museum cooperation through a variety of voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, Musea University Groningen dance academy, activities, including congresses, study trips, Brugge, Museum Schone Kunsten Gent) the advisory council of the Nieuwe Kerk publications and the website (www.codart.nl). new Waanders Publishers, Zwolle Amsterdam, Toneelschuur Haarlem, and codart was founded in 1998 on the Concerto d’Amsterdam. initiative of Gary Schwartz and the Nether- Board of codart With these new appointments, codart lands Institute for Cultural Heritage (icn). Greetje van den Bergh (chair), former fulfills its Board quorum and reaches full It enjoys the generous support of the Nether- vice-president of the board of the strength. We are looking forward to a fruitful lands Ministry of Education, Culture and University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam cooperation in the coming years. Science (ocw). Emilie Gordenker, director of the Mauritshuis, The Hague Advisory committee to the Friends of codart Courant Sari van Heemskerck Pillis-Duvekot, former codart Foundation Bi-annual newsletter of the international member of parliament for the vvd Hedy d'Ancona, former Minister of Culture of council for curators of Dutch and Flemish art. (Dutch Liberal Party), The Hague the Netherlands The codart Courant is distributed by mail Jan Hoekema, mayor of the city of Wassenaar Mària van Berge-Gerbaud, director of the to members and friends of codart. Anthony Ruys, chairman of the supervisory Fondation Custodia (Collection Frits Lugt), To subscribe: www.codart.nl/join -codart board of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Paris Publisher: Manfred Sellink, director of the Musea Brugge, Jozef Deleu, writer and founder and former codart Bruges chief editor of the Flemish-Netherlands p.o. Box 90418 Arnout Weeda, former director of the association Ons Erfdeel nl-2509 lk The Hague Zuiderzee Museum, Enkhuizen Jan Jessurun, former chair of the Netherlands The Netherlands Council for Culture e [email protected] Changes to the codart Board Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven, former chair of the t +31 70 333 9744/f +31 70 333 9749 Rudi Ekkart’s term of office with the Board Dutch parliament www.codart.nl of codart ended as of 1 July 2008. He will Prof. Dr. Henk W. van Os, director emeritus of Coordinator: Jennifer Cardona remain an advisor to the codart Board. the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Editors: Rachel Esner, Brenda Schooneveld codart would like to thank Rudi Ekkart Simon Schama, writer and Gerdien Verschoor. for all of the work he has carried out as a board Jan G.F. Veldhuis, former president of the Translations by: Donald Gardner and uva Talen member, and is very pleased that he will University of Utrecht Design: Typography, Interiority & Other continue to remain close to codart. Serious Matters, The Hague Emilie Gordenker (1965), director of the Changes to the Program Committee Printed by: Drukkerij de Maasstad, Rotterdam Mauritshuis, The Hague, has joined the Board As of October 2008, the Program Committee Cover: Pieter van Lint (?), Saint Elisabeth of of codart as of 2008. Gordenker has been a welcomes a new member, Suzanne Laemers. Hungary praying for the conversion of Berthold member of codart since 2003 and a member Laemers is curator of 15th- and 16th-century (detail), Muzeum Narodowe, Warsaw of the Website Committee since 2005. Before Netherlandish painting at the Rijksbureau (National Museum in Warsaw), inv. nr. M. working at the Mauritshuis, she was senior voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (rkd), Ob.827 curator of early Netherlandish, Dutch and The Hague. She has replaced Edwin Buijsen, issn 1388 9559 Flemish art at the National Gallery of Scotland who began working as head of collections at in Edinburgh (2003-07). Gordenker has worked the Maurtishuis in September 2008. We thank Contributions are welcome. For more infor- as a freelance art historian at institu tions such Buijsen for his commitment and work on the mation see: www.codart.nl/codart/courant as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Frick Program Committee and welcome Laemers Collection and the Rijksbureau voor Kunst- to the team. historische Docu mentatie (rkd), among others. She has also taught at Rutgers codart has attempted to arrange all University and Vassar College. copyrights according to the legal stipulations As of 1 November 2008, Jan Hoekema (1952) and by contacting all entitled parties. For any has also joined the Board of codart. remaining doubts email [email protected] Bringing back the muse Gerdien Verschoor 3 If the aim of a congress is to recharge your muse on Bulevardi 40. The Sinebrychoff Art organization. Unfortunately, we have had batteries so you can return to work with fresh Museum, formerly the home of the collectors to disappoint them, as they do not belong intellectual and spiritual energy, the second Paul and Fanny Sinebrychoff, had undergone to codart’s target group. These requests Netherlands Museumcongres fulfilled this a major conversion some years ago. The do raise questions, however. Is there a need expectation perfectly. One great surprise for furniture, the art collections, the porcelain for a network of curators of modern Dutch me personally during this event, held in and silver, together with a collection of Old and Flemish art? How international could Groningen on 2 and 3 October, was the Masters, combine to form an outstanding a network like this be? How far can codart workshop: Put the muse back in the museum. whole which we will visit next year during serve as an example? Carel Blotkamp, professor The muse? Aren’t museum congresses the codart twaalf study trip to Helsinki emeritus at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, about subjects like attendance figures, and Saint Petersburg. To coincide with the looks into this question in his article indemnity schemes, or private-public codart visit, the Dutch and Flemish codart, let’s get modern! (pp. 14-15). Perhaps partnerships? That’s usually the case. This masters in the collection will be supplemented the time is right to engage in a discussion workshop, however, really was a crowd-puller, with works from other Finnish museums. with our colleagues in the field of modern art with many of us, myself included, turning Moreover, the Kadriorg Art Museum in to see if codart is able and willing to play up as gate-crashers, sitting on the floor or Tallinn will put a generous selection of Dutch a role here. windowsills, or on each other’s laps. We and Flemish masters from its collection at Included in this issue of the Courant are listened with bated breath to what independ- the disposal of this exhibition. From Helsinki introductions to a number of lesser known ent museum consultant Els Hoogstraat had we will continue further by train to Saint collections; reports from the codart elf to tell us. We wrote slogans on post-it notes Petersburg, yet another city with no shortage study trip to Italy; the curator’s interview by and stuck them up on a large blackboard. of muses. On p. 23 of this issue of the Courant Ruud Priem, who spoke to Hanna Benesz; and We crumpled up secret messages and slipped you will find a summary of the program of an interview with the first person to become a them into the hands of whoever was sitting the codart twaalf study trip. codart Maecenas, Willem Jan Hoogsteder. next to us and then started conversing in whispers. Hoogstraat gathered all the brightly For some time now codart has regularly At the time of writing, the preparations for the colored bits of paper, quoted our enthusiastic been approached by curators of modern codart twaalf congress are in full swing. slogans at random, asked a couple of questions art asking if they can join our network After the successful meetings of recent years and jumbled everything up together. She then a number of suggestions have come from presented us with her two magic circles. In the members as to how to boost the core values first circle the words focus - trust - letting go - of the congress – the transfer of knowledge listening were written and linked: according and the reinforcement of networks.