Guests at the Hague Historical Museum
To mark the publication of The Hague's Painters of the Golden Age, the Hague Historical Museum is hosting an exhibition under the same title. Duco Wildeboer met Marie Christine van der Sman, director of the Hague Historical Museum, and discussed the collaborative effort that led to the show.
DW With the 750th anniversary of The Hague, do you sense a special atmosphere at the Hague Historical Museum?
MC We've naturally been closely involved from the very beginning. I still remember the first discussions about the anniversary project. Was the date even accurate? Not at all! The first mention of 'Die Haghe' is in 1230, in a source in the municipal archive. So actually, the jubilee should have been in 1980. But that source has only recently been found. It would be more accurate to call it the 750th anniversary of The Hague as a royal residence. In 1248 the newly elected German king, Count Willem of Holland, founded a palace at the Binnenhof, which gave the place a certain urban pretension. And of course, fifty years ago we had the 700th anniversary. It's nice to keep the link with that event.
From the beginning we were involved in devising all kinds of activities for the anniversary celebrations. For example, we thought of having a large exhibition about the Binnenhof. Unfortunately nothing came of it because I was unable to find a sponsor. That was a pity.
Late in 1997 we hosted a joint show on the court and patronage of Stadholder Frederik Hendrik, Princely Display, together with the Mauritshuis. That actually led up to the 750th anniversary year and generated considerable publicity for the event. We have collaborative arrangements in all kinds of areas and it has been a very busy year for us. Like the Voorhout exhibition, which was held together with the historical society Die Haghe. In fact it might even be a relief to shift down a gear next year. What's really nice is the number of visitors. We've already surpassed last year's total number of visitors and there's still a superb exhibition to come, this year's top event in fact. That's what I keep saying at the town hall. 'The best is yet to come.'
DW How do they respond at the town hall?
MC Very positive. A group of top civil servants were here on a visit yesterday. They came to chat about projects for 2000-2001 and insisted on a reception during the exhibition. When I tell people the story, about Old Masters of the Golden Age working here in The Hague, they all start to beam. I'm currently on a committee called Cultuurstad Den Haag set up by a foundation to promote the city, and I can see how enthusiastic everyone is. I've noticed that the exhibition really helps to promote The Hague and I'm getting positive responses from the people I meet.
DW And how is the collaboration working out?
MC Excellent, yes excellent. It's a surprise, working with Hoogsteder and with the Netherlands Institute for Art History (Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie or RKD). But everyone loves it.
DW But you rarely get an exhibition presented on a silver platter like this, do you?
MC Of course. If Hoogsteder & Hoogsteder hadn't been as generous with their resources in supporting the book, the research and the exhibition, it would never have happened.
DW Was this research something the museum had wanted for a long time?
MC Absolutely. We've had this in our sights since 1991, when Charles Dumas published his book about townscapes of The Hague. Charles was employed by the town's municipal archives then; now he's chief curator of the RKD. That's why the RKD was so enthusiastic when they heard about Hoogsteder's idea. We've always considered the RKD to be an excellent sparring-partner. We're naturally also eager to win the La Fargue exhibition. When Charles Dumas finishes his research into the La Fargue family, we would love to host the accompanying exhibition.
DW What does the Hague Painters show look like?
MC You enter in a room full of magnificent early paintings: Van Ravesteyn, Van der Maes, Van Fornenburgh and Van Bassen. Then a room with works focusing on the sea by painters like Van Beijeren, Van Diest and Leemans. Next to this is a room with a varied selection. The idea being to arrange as much as possible in thematic and chronological order.
One unique feature, for example, is the Van de Venne room, a space reserved exclusively for Adriaen van de Venne: around twenty pieces. Van de Venne was one of a kind. A 17th-century Breughel.
On the first floor, the main room contains work by Jan Steen and his father-in-law, Van Goyen; truly great masters. And there are some delightful landscapes by Van der Croos and a former burgomaster of The Hague, Dirck van der Lisse. The variety is quite surprising. Whenever I used to think of The Hague, I'd think of the court and portrait artists like Gerard van Honthorst, Adriaen Hanneman, Caspar Netscher and Jan Mijtens. But you forget that there were animal painters like Melchior d'Hondecoeter and Dirck Wijntrack or specialists in floral still lifes like Van Fornenburg and Van Beijeren. It gives a whole new perspective on The Hague as an artistic city.
DW The project will soon be complete; in a number of weeks the final result will be presented to the public. Is this a type of project that you would like to repeat?
MC Yes, although you never know how many people will come to see it. But the actual collaboration was fantastic: Hoogsteder taking the initiative, organising and financing the overall operation, the RKD eager to do the research and the museum hosting the exhibition. Everything went smoothly: the loans, the research. Moreover, the VSB Fund was prepared to cover our PR costs and to pay for the educational project for schools. But naturally this subject is so unique that I doubt the chance will present itself again in the near future. Although of course you could try it with a different theme.
DW What do you think about the idea of an art dealer organising an exhibition in a museum? Doesn't this threaten your objectivity?
MC Those are the bears waiting at the corner. I'm convinced that the quality of the art-historical research is exceptionally high and entirely objective. Involving the RKD guaranteed that. Naturally, the company's name is linked to the exhibition, but theres nothing wrong with this in my view. On the contrary, I value this kind of collaborative effort. The municipality, our museum, an academic institute like the RKD, art dealers Hoogsteder & Hoogsteder: we're all playing on the same side. And that's not something you could say of every city.
DW