Groninger Museum

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Groninger Museum

The museum on the Verbindingskanaal
Location in the province Groningen in the Netherlands
Established 1874 (1874)
Location Museumeiland 1[1]
Groningen, Netherlands
Coordinates 53°12′44″N 6°33′58″E / 53.21222°N 6.56611°E / 53.21222; 6.56611Coordinates: 53°12′44″N 6°33′58″E / 53.21222°N 6.56611°E / 53.21222; 6.56611
Type Art museum
Visitors 197,517 (2013)[2]
Director Andreas Blühm[3]
Curator Mark Wilson[4]
Public transit access Groningen
Website www.groningermuseum.nl

The Groninger Museum (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣroːnɪŋər myˈzeːjʏm]; English: Museum of Groningen) is an art museum in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. The museum exhibits modern and contemporary art of local, national, and international artists.

The museum was opened in 1874. The current modernist building consists of three main pavilions, each designed by one of the architects Philippe Starck, Alessandro Mendini, Coop Himmelb(l)au, and was completed in 1994.

Since 2008, the museum had between 180,000 and 256,000 visitors per year. It was the most visited museum in the province of Groningen.

History

The former building of the Groninger Museum in 1975

The Groninger Museum was founded in 1874. The museum opened its own building on the Praediniussingel in 1894.[5]

The Menkemaborg was donated to the Groninger Museum by the heirs of the last inhabitants in 1921.[6]

The current building of the museum was opened in 1994.[5]

Building

Entrance of the museum in 2011, with the yellow tower that was designed by Alessandro Mendini
Corridor inside the museum in 2009

The radically modernist structures forming the Groninger Museum stand in a canal opposite the Groningen railway station consist of three main pavilions: a silver cylindrical building designed by Philippe Starck,[7] a yellow tower by Alessandro Mendini, and a pale blue deconstructivist space by Coop Himmelb(l)au.[8] A bridge that connects the museum to the train station is part of a cycling and walking path to the central city.

The architecture's futuristic and colourful style echos the Italian designs of the Memphis Group. Mendini, a former member of the firm who is noted for his furniture and industrial designs, was asked by museum director Frans Haks in 1990 to design the new museum.[9] Haks wanted something extravagant and insisted on non-architects to create the conceptual studies. American artist Frank Stella was originally approached to design one of the pavilions, however, his plan turned-out to be too expensive because he wanted his structure completely built out of Teflon. The municipality then invited Coop Himmelb(l)au to replace him for the commission.

The museum was mainly paid for by Gasunie, the Dutch national natural gas utility. The company was celebrating its 25th anniversary and wanted to give the city of Groningen a present. Haks, wanting to move out his of the old and insufficient exhibition space, suggested a new museum building. Gasunie agreed to Hak's proposal and granted 25 million guilders for the project.

Alderman Ypke Gietema, a strong proponent of the new museum, was responsible for siting the museum at its present location despite acrimonious objections. During site preparation, protesters managed to halt construction in high court for one year. Citizen's objections centered on the controversial design, fearing their homes would not sell with such a peculiar and eccentric structure nearby. Despite controversy, building resumed in 1992 and it was completed in 1994. Local residents had to get used to the shapes and colours of the building, but it soon became a popular success.

Exhibitions

Exhibition space of the museum in 2012

The Groninger Museum is the home to various expositions of local, national, and international works of art, most of them modern and abstract. Some have provoked controversy, like the photo exhibition of Andres Serrano, but others are more main stream, such as the exhibition of the works by Ilya Repin, the "Russian Rembrandt".

2002
2006
2007
2008
  • Russian Legends, Folk Tales and Fairy Tales
  • The circle around Kirchner. Expressionismus aus den Bergen
  • Ancient Bronzes: Masterpieces from the Shanghai Museum
  • Go China! Assen - Groningen
2009
  • Asian Ceramics
  • Cuba: Art and History from 1868 to the Present
  • From Herman Collenius to Jeff Koons, courtesy of the Vereniging Rembrandt
  • J.W. Waterhouse (1849–1917), the Modern Pre-Raphaelite
2010
  • Now in the former Groninger Museum - 100 years of collecting (1894–1994)
  • Bernhard Willhelm & Jutta Kraus
  • Brücke, German Expressionism (1905–1913)
  • Folkert de Jong
2011
  • The Unknown Russia
  • Me, myself and I by Chi Peng[10]
  • Silver in Groningen
  • The Firebird by Othilia Verdurmen[11]
  • Highlights From The Museum Collection[12]
2012
  • Yin Xiuzhen
  • Painting Canada
  • Iris van Herpen
  • Iconen van het Groningerland. Jan Altink (1885-1971) (Icons of the Groningen Countryside. Jan Altink (1885-1971))
  • Famille Verte
  • Azzedine Alaïa in de 21e eeuw (Azzedine Alaïa in the 21st Century)
  • Eigen collectie - Oude en nieuwe portretten (Old and new portraits from the Groninger Museum collection)
  • Studio Job & het Groninger Museum (Studio Job & the Groninger Museum)
  • Bijzondere huwelijkslepels uit de middeleeuwen
2013
  • Diane KW. At World's End
  • Draken en lange Lijzen. Chinees Porselein uit de eigen collectie (Dragons and Lange Lijzen. Chinese porcelain from the Museum’s own collection)
  • Vrouwen van de Revolutie (Women of the Revolution)
  • Nordic Art 1880 - 1920
  • Groninger Museum eert grondlegger (Groninger Museum honors founder)
  • Marc Bijl. Urban Gothic
  • Gronings zilver uit de collectie Hofman-Westerhof (Gronings silver from the Hofman-Westerhof collection)
  • De Ploeg - Eigen collectie (De Ploeg - Groninger Museum Collection)

Administration

YearVisitors
2008256,000[13]
2009227,700[13]
201088,469[13]
2011214,000[13]
2012180,000[13]
2013197,517[2]

Andreas Blühm has been the museum director of the Groninger Museum since 2012.[14]

The Groninger Museum is a member of Museumhuis Groningen (Groningen Museum House),[15] which is an umbrella organization for museums and heritage institutions in the province of Groningen.[16]

Since 2008, the museum had between 180,000 and 256,000 visitors per year, with the exception of 2010, when the museum was closed for renovation from April to December.[13] In 2013, the museum had 197,517 visitors.[2] It is the most visited museum of the province of Groningen.[13][17]

References

  1. ↑ Contact, Groninger Museum. Retrieved on 13 September 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 (Dutch) Meer bezoekers voor Groninger Museum, OOG Radio en TV, 2014. Retrieved on 11 January 2014.
  3. ↑ Who is who, Groninger Museum. Retrieved on 13 September 2013.
  4. ↑ (Dutch) Wie is wie?, Groninger Museum. Retrieved on 11 January 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 (Dutch) Museumgebouw, Groninger Museum. Retrieved on 11 January 2014.
  6. ↑ (Dutch) Menkemaborg, Groninger Museum. Retrieved on 11 January 2014.
  7. ↑ Philippe Starck, Starck pavilion, Groninger Museum.
  8. ↑ Coop Himmelb(l)au Coop Himmelb(l)au pavilion, Groninger Museum.
  9. ↑ Alessandro Mendini, "Groninger Museum's second life", Domus, 2011.
  10. ↑ Me, Myself and I, Chi Peng, Groninger Museum.
  11. ↑ The Firebird, Groninger Museum.
  12. ↑ Highlights From The Museum Collection, Groninger Museum.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 (Dutch) Bezoekcijfers musea aangesloten bij Museumhuis Groningen, Museumhuis Groningen. Retrieved on 11 January 2014.
  14. ↑ Andreas Blühm new director of Groninger Museum (press release), Groninger Museum, 2012. Retrieved on 11 January 2014.
  15. ↑ (Dutch) Leden Museumhuis, Museumhuis Groningen. Retrieved on 11 January 2014.
  16. ↑ (Dutch) Over ons Museumhuis Groningen. Retrieved on 11 January 2014.
  17. ↑ (Dutch) Top 55 Museumbezoek 2012, Nederlandse Museumvereniging. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

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