1866–1912 On 29 May 1866, a group of artists and collectors in The Hague established
The Society for the Development of a Museum of Modern Art (Dutch:
Vereeniging tot het oprigten van een Museum van Moderne Kunst). The artworks brought together by this group would form the original core of the Kunstmuseum. Among the initiators were The Hague politician Hugo Ferdinand (otherwise known Baron van Zuylen van Nijevelt), the Director of the Mauritshuis, Jean Zacharie Mazel, the artists
David Bles,
Louwrens Hanedoes,
Carel Vosmaer, the architect Henri Camp, the former minister
Agnites Vrolik, and Hendrik Steengracht van Oosterland, a representative of
King William III. Later directors of the association included the artists
Philip Sadée,
Hendrik Willem Mesdag,
Jacob Maris,
Salomon Verveer and Johannes Stroebel. The association also had many artists and notables among its members, including Princes Frederik and Alexander of the Netherlands. The association started by purchasing paintings and was soon looking for exhibition space. The St Sebastian building and
Panorama Mesdag, among others, were used temporarily as accommodation. By 1871, the council had taken the decision to start a
gemeentemuseum (council museum), including both historical artworks and objects, and contemporary pieces of art donated by The Society. The historical objects would be managed by the council, and the contemporary art by the Society. The museum was to be on the street called the Korte Beestenmarkt, in the centre of The Hague. Within a few months, it had been visited by
Queen Wilhelmina. It included paintings such as
Jan van Goyen's
View of The Hague from the South East, now in the
Haags Historisch Museum. The museum collection continued to grow through the later parts of the nineteenth century, outgrowing the space at Korte Beestenmarkt. In 1883, the curators asked the council for funds for the refurbishment of the St Sebastian building in Korte Vijverberg, a short distance from the original setting for the museum. The new location was opened in July 1884. Space continued to be a problem, however, and temporary exhibitions continued to be shown at other locations in The Hague.
1912–1935 1912 saw the appointment of Hendrik van Gelder, who was already the official archivist for The Hague, as director of the Gemeentemuseum. His leadership would prove vital to the museum's dramatic evolution. Renewing the building was his primary concern. Extensive investigation from a couple of years before had confirmed that the St Sebastian building was completely unsuited to the collection – the building was vulnerable to fire, the quality of light poor, the rooms too small. Additionally, the original merging of two collections (of older, and contemporary art) confused the purpose and presentation of the museum. Within a couple years of his appointment, van Gelder presented ideas to mayor and council of The Hague for a new building for modern art. It was envisaged as being part of a huge complex of cultural institutions, with no less than five separate museums. The First World War delayed any formal decision, but by 1918, the city council not only decided to approve van Gelder's ideas, but establish a Department for Art and Science (in Dutch:
Dienst voor Kunsten en Wetenschappen) to give continued government support. The renowned Dutch architect
Hendrik Petrus Berlage was appointed in 1919. He worked with van Gelder to devise this new cultural complex for The Hague, based on a site on the Stadshouderlaan, a little to the north west of the city centre. A first project idea was exhibited at a renowned art studio in The Hague, the
Pulchri Studio, and was popular with the general public. It formed a U-shape, with two wings – one wing a museum for modern art, and the other one for applied arts. There was also a concert building, and space for other cultural activities. but it would turn out to be Berlage's last design. The architect died in 1934. The work was faithfully completed under the direction of Berlage's son-in-law, E.E. Strasser. It was officially opened on 29 May 1935. Shortly after opening, an international congress of museum workers gathered in The Hague, celebrating the "clear and honest" appearance of the museum. A year later an international conference on women's rights was hosted at the Gemeentemuseum. The main speaker,
Margery Corbett Ashby, spoke of her "admiration for the building, which represented the modern life of a great city". The museum was noted for its progressive attitude to women's art: the original layout included a room dedicated to female artists (such as
Coba Ritsema and
Ina Hooft), an unusual decision at the time. When the Netherlands was attacked the next year (10 May 1940), the museum staff worked quickly to bring the artworks into safety. Paintings were taken out of their frames, and with the help of volunteers such as the Boy Scouts, brought to the museum depot. The German invasion happened in a few days; the Dutch surrender and cessation of fighting meant that the artworks could quickly be reinstalled, with the paintings replaced in their frames. The museum reopened in late May 1940. Museum life continued seemingly as normal immediately after the German occupation. Concerts continued to be given. Exhibitions such as "
Still Lifes and Flowers from 30 Contemporary Painters" and one dedicated to the Dutch artist Frans Helfferich were shown. The latter was introduced by the new director, Gerhardus Knuttel, who took over in 1941. But as the war continued, things became significantly more difficult. In 1942, the museum was earmarked by the Nazi occupiers to be destroyed as part of the creation of a defensive line in the city. Only after heavy protests from museum staff were the plans altered. However, it was no longer safe to keep the collection in the underground depot. Within a hurried period of 14 days, the entire collection was transported to various bunkers throughout the Netherlands. Following that, the Germans used the empty museum for storage. The year after it was reported that Knuttel had taken honourable resignation from his position; in reality he was forced into a prisoner of war camp for refusing to work with the Nazis. She was determined to put the collection to good use: in a speech of 1948 she adopted the words of the French poet
Lafontaine "''l'usage seulement fait la possession''" – "Possession is only justified by usage." Perhaps most striking under her leadership, the Gemeentemuseum extended its international ambitions, an important point of connection after the divisions of the Second World War. Her staff organised exhibitions on the Dutch proto-impressionist
Johan Barthold Jongkind that received positive reviews for illuminating French - Dutch connections in the development of 19th-century art, on
Danish sculpture and architecture, the Belgian artist
James Ensor, Norwegian art, and even the German poet and writer
Goethe. Hefting also started moves to establish a Dutch Fashion Museum. Hefting was also responsible for the creation of the Dijsselhof Room, an authentic creation of the architecture and interior design of the room of a nineteenth-century artist. In the museum's ongoing acknowledgement of the place of women art, Hefting especially commissioned needleworkers to recreate the hanging designs in the room. The room still exists now. Unfortunately, her time as director was short. Hefting remarried in 1950 and was obliged to resign. it was legally not permitted for married women to work in government services, a law that would not be repealed until 1957. However, the width and number exhibitions belied that. Wijsenbeek was also conscious of the more open nature of the museum ("The museum was initially an institution, intended exclusively for the curator and his friends. However, the idea gradually developed that a museum is community property" And in 1954, the Film Museum opened, situated in the Gemeentemuseum itself. The World Press Photo exhibition was also held in the museum. And in a more tricky moment, disputes over the purpose of the music collection led the resignation of the curator. The museum was beginning to forge its identity as the spiritual home of Piet Mondrian. The collector Sal Slijper had donated Mondrian artworks in 1951. Four years later a large-scale Mondrian exhibition was organised: the first to ever give a wide review of the artist's work from his early nature pieces and his development towards abstraction. Equally significant was the purchase of three Picasso paintings,
Woman with Mustard Pot,
Harlequin and Sibylle. It was to be designed by a pair of architects, S.J. Schamhart and J.F.Heyligers. The director Louis Wijsenbeek, now in his tenth year in the role, was clear about the purpose of the space: "the permanent collection can finally become permanent." For too long, in Wijsenbeek's opinion, the fixed collection of the museum had been moved about to make space for temporary exhibitions. Indeed, Wijsenbeek had been pushing for such an extension since the start of his tenure at the museum in the 1950s. The wing took a year to build and was opened in July 1962. Its sober modern design was a deliberate contrast to the Berlage building. The original museum "is the work of a great architect … and we are leaving it alone," said Schamhart and Heyligers. Named the Schamhart Wing, it featured many novelties both in its usage (for instance, a children's workshop area) and in the design (huge walls of glass, split floors and moveable walls). The moveable walls were an indication that Wijsenbeek's original plan to host the permanent collection had changed. The new wing was an adaptable space that could be adjusted to suite different temporary exhibition designs. The flow of exhibitions continued - including the iconic presentation of Mondrian-inspired dresses designed by Yves St Laurent - but other problems beset the museum. There were thefts of Chinese porcelain, and also of a valuable violin. There was a clash with the
Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam: both museums scheduled exhibitions of contemporary American art at the same time. And there was also a dispute with local artists and the American minimalist
Carl Andre. Most seriously, a number of younger curators left the museum, ostensibly because of their difficulty in expanding the museum to deal with contemporary art. Other innovations included the first exhibition for blind or hard of seeing visitors - 22 sculptures that they had permission to touch.
1970s The start of 1970 was marked by clashes with the
Beroepsvereniging van Beeldende Kunstenaars (BBK), the Union of Visual Artists. A national organisation with local branches, members from The Hague called for more attention from the Gemeentemuseum. In particular the union demanded that they should be given an annual exhibition, and that two thirds of the museum purchasing budget should be for local artists. The museum was adamant this was not its job to do this - director Wijzenbeek suggested the creation of a separate Kunsthalle in The Hague with a focus only on exhibitions. The argument continued to fester. In the summer of 1970, the BBK complained about the upcoming exhibition
Contrasten in 25 jaren van Nederlandse Kunst (Contrasts in 25 years of Dutch Art). With a focus on a very limited number of Dutch artists, the BBK called it "a prime example of the hobbyism of museum bureaucrats". During the opening in September, they demonstrated outside the building. But it was less than expected: "a few stinkbombs and some exaggerated chatter," according to one journalist. The disenchantment would continue but the museum held firm, refusing the union's demands. 1971 proved to be a significant year. The collector Sal Slijpers left his entire collection to the Gemeentemuseum, comprising 190 Mondrians and 12 works by other artists. The legacy cemented the museum's place as the home for Mondrian's work. The collection was now of such depth that it could demonstrate the nearly all of the artist's development, with the exception of Mondrian's very last years in New York. The acquisition the year before of a significant set of works and documentation of the graphic designer
Piet Zwart revealed a larger ambition: "a study centre, not only for Mondrian's work, but for the entire period between 1914 and 1940." Tension between the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions continued. At the start of the decade Wijzenbeek wrote that "in the future we will strive for a yearly programme with fewer temporary exhibitions". Yet their popularity grew.
Huis in Huis Uit 1770 - 1970 (Inside and Outside the House, 1770 to 1970) drew together the expertise of all parts of the museum to exhibit two centuries of Dutch domestic and social history.
Pompeii uit de as herrezen (Pompeii reborn from the ashes), showing objects related to the famous volcano explosion, became the museum's most successful exhibition: its circa 227,000 visitors far outstripping the number of visitors to the permanent collections. The early 1970s also saw exhibitions dedicated to
Constantin Brancusi, and
Sol LeWitt whose work would also adorn the wall of the Schamhart Wing. Despite the addition of the Schamhart wing in the 1960s, space remained a problem. The acquisition budget of 600,000 guilders meant that there were regular additions to the collection - although some departments were growing much more rapidly than others. The curator of The Hague historical collection noted sadly in 1974 that they only made a handful of acquisitions per year, and despite being a founding part of the original Gemeentemuseum were now by far its smallest department. Demand for space was particularly keenly felt at the fashion department. This proved to be a strong argument. The council were persuaded to allow the building at Lange Vijvenberg 15 to become the permanent home for the fashion collection. With the move of the
National Library of the Netherlands to a purpose-built building near the
main train station, other government-owned buildings in The Hague were becoming available. The Gemeentemuseum started talks with the council about using the Boterweg on the Grote Markt, and St Sebastian Doelen building (where the museum had been housed in the 19th century). A possible relationship to
Museum voor Onderwijs was also considered, with Wijzenbeek a firm supporter of unifying the two museums. Such discussions would eventually lead to the new Museon building in the 1980s. The music department was still a core part of the museum, 1970 would see 26 instruments added to its collection, first part of a comprehensive catalogue printed, and regular concerts and lectures on music. The connection with the city of The Hague was strengthened in other manners. An 'artcar' (
kunstcar) was a travelling exhibition round the city. Other temporary exhibitions were installed around different venues around the city. The museum, conscious that it was not situated in the centre of the city, developed other connections throughout the city. Public programming encouraged trips from local educational institutions, the lending of works to schools and hospitals, portrait photography competitions for the public, contact with retirement homes, as well as the ongoing film programme. However, director Theo van Velzen acknowledged that the museum had an elitist character. It relied too much on a traditional viewpoint of presenting art history. More needed to do done to engage the public. The 1980s would therefore see new types of exhibition; a reshuffling of the width and nature of its collections; and more interaction with other museums in The Hague. Such changes were partly influenced by new thinking about the role of museums, but financial pressures were also playing a role. Interaction with the council - by far and away the majority funder of the museum - was problematic in the 1980s. Troubling cuts were announced in 1983, provoking a dramatic response; staff went as far to blockade access to the museum in the summer of 1984. The strong reaction was partially successful - the cuts were modified and spread more thinly over a broader range of institutions in the city - but the issue of finance would continue to for the rest of the decade and beyond. In terms of the collection, one area of notable change was in the applied arts and design. The Gemeentemuseum had always had collections holdings in this area, but the level of ambition was raised. In 1985, a request for sponsors for a new design department was issued. The request was not well received by other Dutch museums, who felt the Gemeentemuseum was overstepping its role. But the appeal was successful, and by 1987, a permanent display of kitchens, telephones, chairs, hairdryers and other striking examples of twentieth century designed. The incorporation of the fashion collection was the other dramatic addition to the scope of the museum. The council's budget cuts had forced the closure of The Hague Costume Museum in 1983. It was agreed that the collection would be displayed as part of the Gemeentemuseum. Within two years, a whole new approach to its display was established: curators contrasted historical and contemporary dress, a direct break with more chronological approaches. As fashion and the applied arts grew, so the artworks and objects related to the history of The Hague - part of the original bequest to the museum in the nineteenth century - continued to fall in importance. The city council eventually agreed house the collection in a new museum (in the St Sebastian building in Korte Vijverberg, where the Gemeentemuseum had once been housed). Also of note was the opening of Mondriaan House (now known as the
Mondriaan Villa) in
Winterswijk in the east of the Netherlands. The artworks shown in the house, where Mondrian spent much of his youth, largely consisted of artworks drawn from the Mondriaan collection of the Gemeentemuseum. Perhaps the most challenging issue in the 1980s was the construction of the Museum voor Onderwijs (later known as
Museon) next to the Gemeentemuseum. Designed by noted Dutch architect
Wim Quist, the Museon was attached to the original Berlage construction. Though a separate museum, there were some shared spaces. Opened in 1985, there were immediate benefits for the GM. There were many successful exhibitions in the 1980s, demonstrating the museum's continuing ability to attract existing and new audiences.
The Spiritual in Art provided a specific perspective on abstract art;
Massacultuur showed consumer goods. More familiar themes continued to be addressed; De Haagsche School attracted over a quarter of million visitors following successful stints in Paris and London; an exhibition on the landscapes depicted by the French Barbizon painters had a similar effect. == Directors ==