Beelden aan Zee
Encyclopedia
Beelden aan Zee museum in the Scheveningen district of The Hague
, founded in 1994 by the sculpture collectors Theo and Lida Scholten, is the only Dutch museum which specializes in exhibiting sculpture
.
The museum shows contemporary international and national sculpture. The curators organize new exhibitions
three or more times per year in its large circular main space. Exhibitions are created on themes such as the 2010 exhibitions, "Unwanted Land" exhibition by 6 contemporary artists or the "Fathers and Sons" show, or exhibitions around a particular artist. The museum features works by Karel Appel
, Wim Quist, Man Ray
, and Fritz Koenig
. The mission of the museum is to use a mix of forms and materials in the works express "the human experience."
Since 2004, the museum building also houses the Sculptuur Instituut ("Sculpture Institute"), a research institute
on contemporary sculpture. The institute library is accessible during museum opening hours.
built in 1826 for his wife, Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia. Before construction started, the municipality of The Hague required that the museum not be visible from the dunes. The museum has accordingly been built entirely underground, with terraces on the dune, which are also not visible from a distance. The museum is also not visible from the boulevard. From the roof of the museum one can see the sea, but not the boulevard nor the Scheveningen beach. As a result, the museum can be hard to find although it is signposted from the end of the street.
The concrete and glass museum has an unusual slot-system in the concrete walls designed by the architect, so that sculpture or paintings can be hung from a bolt set into one of the many blocks in the walls. The whole museum is built on various levels with light coming in from above in many spaces. It includes a number of outdoor areas and museum supplies raincoats for visitors. There is also a cafe and a bookshop, as well as facilities for the disabled.
created out of numerous sculptures by the American sculptor Tom Otterness
was located on the boulevard just beyond the museum between 2004-2010. This "fairy tale pictures to the sea" installation was designed in particular for children to enjoy.
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, founded in 1994 by the sculpture collectors Theo and Lida Scholten, is the only Dutch museum which specializes in exhibiting sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
.
The museum shows contemporary international and national sculpture. The curators organize new exhibitions
Art exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
three or more times per year in its large circular main space. Exhibitions are created on themes such as the 2010 exhibitions, "Unwanted Land" exhibition by 6 contemporary artists or the "Fathers and Sons" show, or exhibitions around a particular artist. The museum features works by Karel Appel
Karel Appel
Christiaan Karel Appel was a Dutch painter, sculptor, and poet. He started painting at the age of fourteen and studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam in the 1940s...
, Wim Quist, Man Ray
Man Ray
Man Ray , born Emmanuel Radnitzky, was an American artist who spent most of his career in Paris, France. Perhaps best described simply as a modernist, he was a significant contributor to both the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal...
, and Fritz Koenig
Fritz Koenig
Fritz Koenig, born June 20, 1924, in Würzburg, Germany, is a sculptor best known outside his native country for "The Sphere," which once stood in the plaza between the two World Trade Center towers in Lower Manhattan but which now stands, its damage deliberately left unrepaired, in Battery Park as...
. The mission of the museum is to use a mix of forms and materials in the works express "the human experience."
Since 2004, the museum building also houses the Sculptuur Instituut ("Sculpture Institute"), a research institute
Research institute
A research institute is an establishment endowed for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research...
on contemporary sculpture. The institute library is accessible during museum opening hours.
The building
The museum building was designed by architect Wim Quist, underneath the historic "Pavilion of Wied" King William IWilliam I of the Netherlands
William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
built in 1826 for his wife, Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia. Before construction started, the municipality of The Hague required that the museum not be visible from the dunes. The museum has accordingly been built entirely underground, with terraces on the dune, which are also not visible from a distance. The museum is also not visible from the boulevard. From the roof of the museum one can see the sea, but not the boulevard nor the Scheveningen beach. As a result, the museum can be hard to find although it is signposted from the end of the street.
The concrete and glass museum has an unusual slot-system in the concrete walls designed by the architect, so that sculpture or paintings can be hung from a bolt set into one of the many blocks in the walls. The whole museum is built on various levels with light coming in from above in many spaces. It includes a number of outdoor areas and museum supplies raincoats for visitors. There is also a cafe and a bookshop, as well as facilities for the disabled.
Tom Otterness: fairy tale pictures to sea
A public sculpture gardenSculpture garden
A sculpture garden is an outdoor garden dedicated to the presentation of sculpture, usually several permanently sited works in durable materials in landscaped surroundings....
created out of numerous sculptures by the American sculptor Tom Otterness
Tom Otterness
Tom Otterness is an American sculptor whose works adorn parks, plazas, subway stations, libraries, courthouses and museums in New York---most notably in Rockefeller Park in Battery Park City and in the 14th Street/8th Avenue subway station---and other cities around the world...
was located on the boulevard just beyond the museum between 2004-2010. This "fairy tale pictures to the sea" installation was designed in particular for children to enjoy.