The history begins in September 1895, when the local government bodies and private buyers coalesced their know-how and interest in the arts and founded the museum
The museum before ‘The Bathtub’
Not all is lost in change made in the name of growth and progress. Before the addition of the ‘new’ wing, one that vaguely resembles a bathtub, the Stedelijk Museum was comprised of a singular nineteenth-century building that was formatted, designed, and brought to life by Adriaan Willem Weissman, casting a building with architecture reminiscent of Dutch Neo-Renaissance.
The name of the museum is a derivation of the word municipal in the Dutch language. Pronounced stat + -lijc, the Stedelijk Museum has, over the years, become a pillar and symbol for the modern and contemporary art scene in the city of Amsterdam. As its name suggests, the museum boasts a curation of works from a range of creators and artists alike – having all of the art owned by the city of Amsterdam.
Sophia Adriana de Bruyn
The establishment’s history begins on the 14th of September 1895, when the local government bodies and private buyers coalesced their know-how and interest in the arts and founded the museum. Speaking on behalf of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam is its long time curator, Leontine Coelewij.
Coelewij regards the museum to be a paramount establishment in the Netherlands in disseminating modern and contemporary pieces of the 20th century. «Stedelijk would not be what it is without the help and oversight from a member of the aristocracy at the time – Sophia Adriana de Bruyn». Coelewij explains de Bruyn’s fascination with the arts and being a collector herself.
The renowned member of society amassed an extensive archive of contemporary pieces that would lead to a chain of reactions in realizing Stedelijk. As a means to host her art pieces and share them with the inhabitants of the city, the Vereeniging tot het Vormen van een Verzameling van Hedendaagsche Kunst [VVHK, Society for the formation of a public collection of contemporary art] was founded in 1874 to host her private collection publicly. Twenty-one years later, Stedelijk would become a reality, featuring a collated body of art pieces, part of which was donated by the Ven Eeghen family leading to the formation of the museum as we know it today.
A collection of art over time – Stedelijk Museum
Taking a look back in time to the museum’s history, Coelewij paints a picture of the space in its infancy and casts a contrast to its physicality today. Here, she explains that Stedelijk hosted a ‘hodgepodge’ of art pieces, antiquities and paintings that reflected the collections of its donors. She remarks that it was at the turn of the 20th century when the museum made a shift towards becoming a modern and contemporary art museum.
«In the 1930s, the museum went through a period of change», says Coelewij. «The museum shifted its focus in manners of curation and presentation of its collection of art, thus becoming more Avant-Garde in nature». The museum’s conservator also makes a note of another physical change that took place in 2012. To this, she explains that the renovation was designed and constructed by Benthem Crouwel Architects, an established architectural firm based in The Netherlands.
The renovations and extensions that took place in the 21st century carried on for a period of nine years, which finally ended in 2012. «While the renovation was taking place, the Stedelijk Museum existed in a separate and temporary building for a duration of time. The renovations in the museum gave space for an extended wing that allowed for the museum’s collections to be presented on a permanent basis».
Paintings, sculptures, and large model installations at Stedelijk
The curator explains that prior to the extension of the new wing, Stedelijk Museum would alternate showing pieces in batches due to its limited real estate. In terms of its collection, however, Coelewij shares that Stedelijk has amassed over 100,000 pieces of art in various forms over its century-long existence. These pieces, as the curator marks, include paintings, sculptures, and large model installations to name a few.
Prior to the introduction of the new building, pieces would take turns being featured in the museum. Certain pieces would reside in the museum’s storage while others were shown for a limited period of time. Having extended the building as of 2012 was integral to the growth of Stedelijk as a disseminator for contemporary and modern artworks in the Netherlands. The expansion gave room and reason for the curators to allow more pieces to be showcased to the public.
«While we have a varied accoutrement of art pieces that range in mediums, the relevance of them also lies in their origins. Over the years we have accrued pieces from countries across locations. For instance, we have pieces from Malevich who was a Russian artist, Northern American artists like Warhol and works from creators across Asia and other European countries that we seek to share in the space». Coelewij marks that whilst the museum receives a set number of pieces from the city of Amsterdam, the museum relies on donors and collectors who loan or donate pieces to aggrandize the museum’s pre-existing collection.
The architecture of Stedelijk and its ‘Bathtub’ as explained by Leontine Coelewij
«The new contemporary wing of the museum is often lovingly regarded as a bathtub by the locals», Coelewij explains. Designed by the architectural firm Benthem Crouwel, who has designed and modified spaces across the Netherlands including the Anne Frank House, airports, office buildings and the metro lines in the country and those neighboring it. In terms of its design, the curator shares that the entrance to the museum was relocated to face the Museumplein square.
To create a contrast and a varying identity to Stedelijk’s primary building, where bricks were used in its construction, the architects realized volume in the exterior of the new building. Coelewij explains that the architects involved themselves with a Japanese company who are known to create yachts, thus using a similar material on the exterior of the building.
«The material that was used to mold the exterior formed a smooth and wide surface that engulfed the externalities of the new wing. It was a material that was newfound in building design, thus, successfully separating Stedelijk not only from its primary structure but also with other museums across the board». Spanning 26,500 square meters in the new wing of Stedelijk’s museum, the space hosts three levels with one being underground. Each floor is dedicated to featuring works of art from a variety of artists, as the curator remarks.
Leontine Coelewij
Leontine Coelewij who has been a part of Stedelijk Museum for years and has always shared an affinity for the arts. Having published books in the field of arts, Coelewij, who is a native of Amsterdam, grew up visiting museums and galleries as a child. «In my youth, I was deeply inspired by the works of art that I got to see first-hand. Matisse and Tetsumi Kudo are some names that moved me». Having developed a fervor for the arts at a young age, Coelewij pursued a degree in art history at the University of Amsterdam and received an opportunity to become a curator at a satellite museum for Stedelijk Museum.
«My time as a curator here ended in 1992 when the director of the Stedelijk Museum approached me with the opportunity to become a curator at Stedelijk. I worked on crafting exhibitions for artists at the museum alongside being a part of the Biennale in Venice as well. My specialization now revolves around the history of contemporary works».
The art and the future of the museum
In the case of the art that resides in the two wings of the Stedelijk Museum, Coelewij explains that the old wing and the new building each hold significance and a role in the ways art is presented. The primary building that exists on the left side features collections and exhibitions that stay on for extended periods of time. The curator adds that the new wing of the building, with its space, provides room for changing exhibitions. «In the past, Stedelijk shed light on creators of the past, titling the exhibition ‘Meet the Icons of Modern Art’. While this was an integral and informational part of disseminating contemporary art, we wanted to grow and explore new narratives as opposed to what has been discussed time and time again».
Breaking the exhibition into three distinct parts where each exhibition highlights works of art from a thematic point of view as opposed to one that follows a chronological timeline. Works centered around diaspora, women’s identities, community, and belonging are featured across the exhibitions. Titled ‘Tomorrow is a Different Day’, Coelewij shares that the exhibition, focused on works leading up to the 1950s, opened to the public in July of 2021.
It was then followed with the exhibition called ‘Every day, Someday and Other Stories’ that opened in February of this year where the pieces of art showcased were released between the 1950s to the 1980s. «There was a focus on pieces where the artists integrated their lives into their works. Alongside this, there was also the intent to show pieces that were created by women and marginalized groups. The last part of the exhibition was featured a few weeks ago, casting a light on artworks after 1980».
Accessibility at Stedelijk Museum
Along with hosting works of art, Stedelijk additionally hosts learning programs both online and offline. To further disseminate art and allow for accessibility, a bookstore has also been initiated into the new wing of the museum, selling varied literary works. In the near future, the curators and directors of the museum are looking to diversify their archive to allow for a well-rounded offering to everyone walking through the museum doors.
Stedelijk Museum
Museumplein 10, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, Netherlands. Situated in an enclave housing an accoutrement of museums and art spaces, Stedelijk Museum is a 125-year-old museum founded in 1897 that houses modern and contemporary art pieces from the locale and abroad.
