ZUIDAS. Magazine

The sculptures made by artist Jan Verschoor create an illusion of frozen movement. Their shapes are fluid and harmonious, from whatever side you look at them. His work is currently exhibited in the Museumhuis, adjacent to Museum Jan van der Togt.

Verschoor’s objects are fascinating due the various materials and colours he uses; they are a real feast for the art lover’s eye. But they are also very beautiful when captured on camera as photographer Eric de Vries showed by captivating impressive images of the sculptures and objects made by Jan Verschoor in the historic setting of Keukenhof Castle. 

In the 1960s, Jan Verschoor studied art at the Royal Academy in Amsterdam where he was educated in the figurative tradition. However, soon after graduating he began exploring different ways of artistic expression and from the early 1970s until now he has been focusing on abstract art.

Polyester

He uses traditional materials such as bronze, marble and glass but early in his career he started experimenting with modern materials like polyester. His first monumental assignment was a white, opened-up polyester sphere in the central hall of the Congress Centre in The Hague (1971).

Apart from his surprising use of materials and colours, his works are known for their craftsmanship and technical precision. Jan Verschoor is called the ‘sculptor of understated perfection’, because he is never trying to openly challenge or provoke and his art doesn’t carry a specific message. He is just looking for harmony and balance in form and space.

Smooth polish

The sculptures have a smoothly polished surface and are perfectly finished, showing the craftsmanship of his partner Rob Brünnmayer, who has been assisting Verschoor ever since his early years as an independent artist. Looking at art made by Jan Verschoor is first and foremost an aesthetic experience. There is an educational programme on the artist Jan Verschoor aimed at high-school students that is aptly named ‘Spatial beauty’. 

The multifaceted sculptures of Jan Verschoor are on display inside and outside Museum Jan van der Togt (where Jan Verschoor was museum director for 25 years) in Amstelveen, but also in public spaces: for example, in the pond next to the Amstelveen town hall and outside the Groenhof shopping centre, also in Amstelveen. Those looking for a more intense artistic experience and an encounter with the artist should make their way to the Museumhuis.

Museumhuis/Museum Jan van der Togt

Dorpsstraat 50

Amstelveen

Open Tuesday to Sunday: 11:00 – 17:00 hours.

W www.stichtingjanverschoor.nl and museumhuisjanverschoor.nl.

Text: Pim Mager
Photo: Tom Haartsen

KLM will be a hundred years old in October 2019. That birthday is kicked off with a free photo exhibition.

Amsterdam City Archives can now display one hundred very beautiful photos from the history of the Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij because KLM has had its own photo archive since its establishment. It is the oldest aviation photo archive in the world. The archive contains 250,000 high-quality images made by renowned photographers such as Paul Huf.

A million day trippers

But the exhibition also shows how flying has changed over the past century, says Lidy klein Gunnewiek, chairman of the board of the Maria Austria Institute, which has put together the photo exhibition. And manages the extensive KLM photo archive.

First it was businessmen, politicians, and celebrities who could afford it. For a long time, a day at Schiphol was the highest possible for most people. In 1955 the airport attracted no fewer than a million day trippers, a number that the Rijksmuseum couldn’t match.

An annual salary

During the opening of the photo exhibition, KLM director Frank Houben told those present about the First Air Traffic Exhibition Amsterdam, which took place in the summer of 1919 in Amsterdam-Noord, where the Eye Museum now stands. The exhibition lasted two months and attracted no fewer than 500,000 visitors. Houben: “Many people had never seen a plane up close. You could even fly around. That cost almost an annual salary and you did not know whether you would land safely. ”

Let’s Fly Away can be seen until 6 October – except on Monday – at the Amsterdam City Archives, Vijzelstraat 32. Admission is free.

At the photo above:

Arrival Convair PH-TEE Schiphol 1949.

Image: Paul Huf / MAI

At the photo below:

Breeder F.XX, PH-AIZ Herring Gull, circa 1935

Photo MAI

The investigation into the state of the Night Watch will start on 8 July 2019.

A team of researchers, curators and conservators is working in a special glass room, which is placed in front of the 377-year-old painting, so that the artwork remains visible to the museum visitors.

This probably most famous painting by Rembrandt becomes thorough because changes are taking place in the painting, such as the blurring of the dog in the bottom right of the painting.

11,400 photos are taken with an ultra-high resolution. The cracks in the painting are studied with special scanners and the pigments are examined with a high-tech laser. All this information is used to find out the best way to restore The Night Watch for the coming generations.

Upside down

“We are about to turn the world of painting conservation upside down and do things that have never been tried before,” says Robert van Langh, Head of Conservation and Restoration at the Rijksmuseum.

Paint experts from Sikkens/ Akzo Nobel also participate in the research team. AkzoNobel previously supplied 8,000 liters of paint that was used for the renovation of the Rijksmuseum that took ten years. The paint company developed a special color pallet for this, which corresponds to the colors that were originally used by architect Pierre Cuypers.

The restoration of De Nachtwacht can be followed live on https: // www. Rijksmuseum.nl/nachtwacht.

At the photo:

CEO Thierry Vanlancker of AkzoNobel and Taco Dibbits, director of the Rijksmuseum.

Image via Rijksmuseum