Page 21 - Studio International - May 1973

provincial museums. Kröller-Müller in Otterlo almost 400 000, the
This issue of Studio International is largely The State runs its museums through the Mauritshuis in The Hague 140 000, the
devoted to aspects of contemporary visual arts Department of Museums and Monuments of the Municipal Museum in The Hague and the
in Holland. We wish to acknowledge the Ministry of Culture, Recreation and Social Museum Boymans-van Beuningen in
assistance of R. H. Fuchs in editing the issue, Welfare in The Hague. As there are only very Rotterdam each around 130 000 and the Van
and to express our thanks to many people in few regular university museums the Ministry Abbemuseum in Eindhoven almost 65000
Holland and the UK who have made the of Education and Sciences has practically no visitors.
compilation of this material possible, in influence in this field. The municipal and Virtually all the museum staff are civil
particular Mr de Wilde and Barbara Reise. provincial museums operate independently of servants. In art museums staff are now mostly
The articles in this issue by Geert van the Ministry of Culture. There are now art historians. During the fifties there was a
Beijeren, Constant, Marcel Vos, Hans Sizoo and 25 to 3o museums and cultural centres tendency to attract outsiders with special
Peter Struycken were translated from the Dutch spread over the country, actively concerned knowhow. That has changed gradually, but the
by Ina Rike, Amsterdam. with contemporary art, both on a national and number of art history students has grown so
an international level. fast that nowadays many young graduates
The museums often cover other fields besides cannot find jobs. This is all the more serious
modern art and the cultural centres are usually because the American game of musical chairs in
also involved with music, theatre and museum functions is completely unheard of in
educational work. The typically German and the Netherlands. Whoever has a job, more often
Swiss museum variety known as a Kunsthaus than not stays in it till he has reached
or a Kunstverein, being an art gallery without a retirement age. Also, after the war a younger
permanent collection presenting an exhibition generation took over and it will be another
programme, is practically non-existent in twenty years before a major move up can be
Holland. expected. Finally, in view of the economic
Financially the city museums are often better situation, the government has severely restricted
On art and museum off than the state institutions. Cities pay better the appointment of new personnel on all levels.
salaries and funds for exhibitions and As a result most museums are understaffed.
policies in the acquisitions tend to be higher. Endowments The so-called Ministry of C.R.M. has three

from private sources are almost unknown. All departments involved with art: the already
Netherlands money comes from the government: state, mentioned department of Museums and
province or city. They pay all salaries and allow Monuments, the department of the Living Arts
a fixed amount per annum for exploitation (music, theatre, ballet, opera, literature, film,
Culturally the Netherlands has always operated including specified funds for acquisitions and fine arts, architecture) and the department of
under French, German and English influences. exhibitions. International Relations. The second department
The country is tiny, but open, tolerant and The difficult economical situation has meant is the most important in terms of cultural
internationally minded, although it has its share that in recent years funds have remained the policies implemented by the State. In recent
of nationalism, chauvinism and provincialism. same, despite rising costs. Moreover, the funds years the government has channelled its most
Amsterdam became a freeport for a cross-trade of the State museums were severely cut last controversial decisions through this department
in cultural goods, and a haven of year. On the other hand prices continue to go and most of the pressure from the artists has
permissiveness for those seeking freedom of up. Sadly it looks as if all this will result in been directed against those decisions.
expression. Smallness often results in narrow- diminished activities. In the early fifties the Minister of Culture
mindedness and the barrier of an internationally For the last few years the country has had a installed a Council of the Arts, an advisory
unimportant language can seem conservative government, and instead of board now comprising six sections, an executive
unsurmountable. Dutch artists used to avow abolishing entrance charges entirely, last year board and an extensive secretarial and research
an affection for French art and live in Paris (Van they started to double and triple the charges office. The artists are well represented, both
Gogh, Mondrian, Appel), but their work wherever possible. There is seldom a direct individually and through delegates from the
showed an allegiance to the North. Nowadays relationship between the income from entrance artists' Unions and Societies. Civil servants from
they can be found all over Europe, and American charges and the funds granted for use by the a minority in this council and The Ministry of
relations are rated as the ultimate accolade. museum. The income from entrance charges Culture is represented by observers only. All
The country is densely populated with a earned in State museums goes straight to the demands for subsidies and many other policy
metropolitan area comprising three major cities treasury, not even to the Ministry of Culture. problems are presented to the Council. The
(Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague) and at Museums are, and should be operated as, Ministry often but not always follows its advice.
least six other important centres (Utrecht, service institutions, preferably free of charge so The Council only advises the Minister on
Hilversum, Haarlem, Leiden, Delft, Schiedam). as to lower the threshold of reluctancy and problems concerning the Department of Arts,
Cultural activities have traditionally been ignorance as much as possible. Entrance charges the other two departments are as yet out of its
concentrated within this circle, now usually in general however are as yet not unbearably reach.
called the marginal city of Holland. In the high and something like the Metropolitan Heavy pressure from artists in recent years
post-war years more and more lively lines of system, in New York, still seems unthinkable in has accelerated plans for a drastic reorganization
cultural traffic have related Holland to the other this country. of the Council. The Department on the other
provinces. The overall number of visitors to Dutch hand has slowly started to change some of its
There are more than 50o museums in the museums clearly indicates that raising charges standard policies. It is hoped that the Council
Netherlands. With the exception of some private has a limiting influence. All through the post- will obtain a more effective influence through a
collections open to the public and a limited war years the number of visitors had an average more open and democratic way of working.
number of small museums run by heavily growth percentage of about io% a year. This Both Department and Council are involved with
subsidized private foundations they are all growth has now levelled off in most cases to all the arts. Some of the policies in the field of
owned by the government. The country has about 2% a year. In 1972 the Rijksmuseum in fine arts initiated by the Council or
around twenty State (national) museums, Amsterdam had 1.3 million visitors, the Department or both might give an indication of
several hundred municipal museums and a few Stedelijk in Amsterdam almost 500 000, the the range of State activities.
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