Depot Boijmans van Beuningen. Foto: Ossip van Duivenbode
Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen
- On Friday 5 November, His Majesty the King opened the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, designed by MVRDV, in the Rotterdam Museum Park.
- The depot, the first publicly accessible art depot in the world, opened its doors to the public on 6 November, 4.5 years after the first brick was laid, and received 41.000 visitors until lockdown.
Depot Boijmans van Beuningen. Foto: Ossip van Duivenbode
- The depot was mentioned more than 1260 times in printed national media items with a circulation reach in excess of 1 billion. The depot enjoyed major articles in all large and small newspapers and in many magazines, including extended photo reports and/or interviews in Het Blad of NRC, Holland Herald, National Geographic, Quest and Volkskrant Magazine. Thanks to the good collaboration with and the amazing efforts of Pickles Pr, Rotterdam Partners and MVRDV, the depot was reported in the international media in more than 30 countries, with highlights including an international press conference attended by 63 journalists and a live Zoom conference with China that was attended by 70 journalists representing Chinese media. In 2021, the depot was also featured in The Guardian, The Economist, El País, De Morgen, Süddeutscher Zeitung, Il Sole 24 Ore and Les Echos and appeared on the front page of internationally renowned media such as The New York Times.
Vitrines in Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. Foto: Aad Hoogendoorn
- The transfer of the art collection, totalling more than 151,000 objects from five external depots to the new Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is now 95% complete.
- The four restoration studios have been taken into use. Here, preparatory work for loans is carried out, for example for the exhibition 'À la campagne' at the Fries Museum. In addition, a start has been made on a variety of research projects and a partnership formed with the RCR project programme 'Heritage of the twentieth century'.
- The corporate collections of Lakeside Capital Partners and Rabobank, together with the art collection of KPN, all now have their own depot compartment, after renting one of the private depot areas.
- Together with Mourad El Moussati – Connector Equality at R'damse Nieuwe and founder of Sollicitatiemarkt [Job Application Market] – a start has been made in the search for thirteen Rotterdammers who want to take on the role of depot guide. In just ten days, more than 500 applications flooded in.
"Het mannetje" van Maurizio Cattelan in Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. Foto: Aad Hoogendoorn
- The outdoor exhibition 'R E F L E C T I E S' [Reflections] attracted hundreds of people who have sent in their visual reflections on the depot. 52 winners and their work can be seen in the Rotterdam outdoor exhibition.
- On 28 August, a skate event was organised with the Rotterdam Council and the Dutch skate label Pop Trading Company in the Museum Park in Rotterdam. A skate installation by Boris Telegen (Delta), was presented.
- On 28 May, the international symposium 'Opening Up! Collection Centre Strategies' was held in partnership with Stichting Behoud Moderne Kunst [Modern Art Preservation Foundation]. Six international speakers shared their experiences about the combination of caring for the collection and the public function of a museum depot. The symposium attracted participants from all over the world.
- Thursday 21 January saw the première of the film Bouwgrond on the Boijmans YouTube channel.
Kunst in Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. Foto: Iris van den Broek
- In the photo studio, recordings were made for the forthcoming Boijmans Study about the design collection (authored by former curator Mienke Simon Thomas) and the first research photos were made of Van Gogh's Populierenlaan bij Nuenen [Poplars near Nuenen].
- Piet van der Slikke and Sandra Swelheim, together with contributions from the Boijmans Business Club and the Kring van Eyck [the Van Eyck Circle], enabled the installation of Pipilotti Rist's light art work 'Het leven verspillen aan jou' at the foot of the depot.
- The entrance area by John Körmeling was taken into use.
- The construction of the depot, the entrance area and the display cases were made possible thanks to main sponsor Stichting De Verre Bergen [De Verre Bergen Foundation].
- The stairs in the atrium of the depot were completed, with thanks to the VriendenLoterij.
- The event area Coert was completed, with thanks to the Asahi Shimbun.
Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. Foto: Ossip van Duivenbode
- The four restoration studios were made possible by: Mr and Mrs Schoufour-Martin (wood restoration studio); Stichting Elise Mathilde Fonds [Elise Mathilde Fund] (multifunctional restoration studio); Erasmusstichting [Erasmus Foundation] (paper restoration studio); Stichting Bevordering van Volkskracht on behalf of the Swart-van Essen Fund (painting restoration studio)
- The app which makes a visit to the depot even more interesting was made possible thanks to the support of ICT partner KPN, VSBfonds and Zabawas Foundation.
- The depot received the Glass Award 2021, Architectenweb Awards 2021, ARC21 Architecture Award and was proclaimed the best public building in the Netherlands
- The well-known Rotterdam chef Jim de Jong became head chef of the restaurant on the top floor. In August, De Jong set to work for the 'Renilde' restaurant, named after former curator Renilde Hammacher-van den Brande (1913-2014). Hall Coert, named after former director Coert Ebbinge Wubben (1915-2014), is the event venue.
Restauratie Atelier in Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. Foto: Rob Becker
- Architect Bureau Concrete designed the Renilde restaurant and Coert and included special collapsible tables.
- The depot app is now fully developed and has been downloaded more than 12,000 times. It reveals the stories behind the art works in the depot. The public can scan the QR codes on the showcases and the depots, view the interactive visual stories and make their own digital collections.
- A presentation about the 'making of' the depot and a presentation about the renovation with a time-line of the museum building since 1849 could be seen when the doors to the depot opened.
Restauratie Atelier in Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. Foto: Rob Becker
- The Rotterdam label Studio Markx of fashion designer Saskia Markx designed the uniforms for the depot. The clothing is produced sustainably by By Rockland. Markx based the design of the uniforms for the depot employees on traditional lab coats and work jackets. This is not just a reference to the traditional skills that are necessary for making art, but also for managing it.
- The showcases by Marieke van Diemen have been completed and fitted out with collection items as thirteen small presentations. King Willem-Alexander stands with Rodin's 'Eva' in the showcase.
- As 2021 drew to a close, the recently opened depot had to close due to the pandemic.
Restauratie Atelier in Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. Foto: Rob Becker
- In addition to Main Sponsor Stichting De Verre Bergen, the depot also had a group of Founders who have made a valuable contribution to the completion of the depot's interior. We would like to thank VriendenLoterij, The Asahi Shimbun, Stichting Elise Mathilde Fonds, Peterson and Control Union, Mr and Mrs Schoufour-Martin, Piet van der Slikke and Sandra Swelheim, Stichting Bevordering van Volkskracht on behalf of Swart-van Essen Fonds, Erasmusstichting, KPN, VSBfonds, Jurgen and Carin Stegmann-Overzier, G.Ph. Verhagen-Stichting, Familie Verweij-Engelaer, Nedspice, Rotterdam Port Authority, Bruynzeel Storage Systems, PwC, RSM | Audit | Tax | Consulting.
- Since the construction, more than a thousand mirrors have been adopted. This year, an additional 111 private individuals and companies will adopt a mirror in the façade and dedicate this to a loved one or a fine memory. Anyone who adopts ten or more mirrors has their name listed next to one of the trees on the roof.
Pipilotti Rist voor Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. Foto: Ossip van Duivenbode