Holland Art Cities
In 2009 and 2010, the four largest cities in Holland will be taking part in a large-scale art and cultural event called ‘Holland Art Cities’. As part of this event, the top ten museums in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht will be joining forces to put together an unprecedented art spectacle. The Amsterdam museums the Hermitage Amsterdam and Stedelijk Museum will also be celebrating their opening (or reopening) during Holland Art Cities.
World-class cultural offerings
Some of the most beautiful museums in the world are located within only an hour’s travelling time of one another in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. During Holland Art Cities, these cities will be inundated with art and culture like never before, when the cultural organisations and top museums from these cities will be putting together a cultural calendar of the highest quality for two entire years. This makes it the highest concentration of art and cultural activities per square kilometre in the world. The programme, which consists of at least 25 exhibitions over the course of the two years, is an absolute must for all art lovers.
Ten museums
The ten participating museums guarantee a first-rate programme for Holland Art Cities. In Amsterdam this involves the Van Gogh Museum, Hermitage Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum and Stedelijk Museum. In The Hague, the Municipal Museum of The Hague and the (Koninklijk Kabinet van Schilderijen) Mauritshuis and, in Utrecht, the Museum Catharijneconvent and Centraal Museum. Rotterdam’s contribution will be the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and the Kunsthal.
Two museum openings
During this international event, two Amsterdam museums will be opening or reopening their doors to the public. Hermitage Amsterdam, with exhibitions from the extensive art collection of the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, will be opening its doors in the spring of 2009 from its new location, a building ten times (4,000 m2) larger than the current Hermitage. And the Stedelijk Museum, a leading contemporary art museum, will be exhibiting a large selection from its unique collection for the first time since 2003 as part of a spectacular opening exhibition following the renovation of the museum.
Three themes
The works of art on display in the various museums during Holland Art Cities are categorised into three themes: International Influences, Young Artists, Contemporary Art and Design and Dutch Masters. The cities of Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht will be developing an extensive cultural and tourist-oriented programme around these themes.
The first theme to be launched by Holland Art Cities in November 2008 is ‘International Influences’. The international orientation of the Dutch can clearly be seen in the country’s art, culture and science and served as the source of inspiration for the large number of exhibitions put together by the various museums.
Unique collaboration
The Holland Art Cities event is being coordinated by the International Events Holland Foundation and brings together ten world-class museums, the four largest cities in the Netherlands and their marketing organisations (Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Board, Den Haag Marketing, Rotterdam Marketing, Utrecht Tourism & Recreation), two ministries and the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions in a collaborative effort, the goal of which is to attract at least 200,000 additional visitors to the Netherlands and the participating museums.
Information on the programme
The latest news and more information on the programme can be found on the website at www.hollandartcities.com .