THE KUNSTHAL: ROTTERDAM’S ART MECCA TURNS 30
In the 1970s, blockbuster exhibitions started to attract swathes of audiences to major museums all over the world, yet not all art institutions could accommodate the masses and instead, maintained the focus on their own collections. Determined to give Rotterdam a venue for such exhibitions, councilor of Finance and Art Joop Linthorst enlisted the help of city architect Rem Koolhaas. The Kunsthal, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this November, would become the first of its kind in the country, launching Koolhaas and his firm OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) to international renown with its ground-breaking design.
Words Paola Westbeek
Jeroen Musch
THE CREATION OF AN INNOVATIVE BUILDING
From its inception, the Kunsthal was destined to become a beacon of art in the broadest sense of the word, but Koolhaas’ idea wasn’t immediately embraced. When he presented his initial design for the exhibition space – set to be erected on Westzeedijk – in April of 1988, it was met with rejection by Wim van Krimpen, the Kunsthal’s first director. Dubbed the Kunsthal Hoboken Concept Plan, his proposal was for a single, flexible space housed in a building that would be supported by six wide beams and appear to hover above the ground. According to Van Krimpen, however, the design would have drawn too much attention away from what was actually being shown inside. Additionally, more exhibition space and walls would be needed in order to present the works of art. With this in mind, Koolhaas went back to the drawing table, creating an innovative building which opened its doors on 1 November 1992 and quickly achieved iconic status.
PROGRESSIVE AND MULTIFACETED
Shaped like a square box, the building has sweeping floor planes that not only make it more architecturally interesting, but also serve to connect its seven exhibition halls. From the southern edge on Westzeedijk, the structure is elevated, creating a sense of space, while its northern edge, facing Museumpark, is located a level lower. The height difference of six metres is bridged by a public pedestrian ramp that slices through the building and passes by a tall, narrow tower serving as an accent that draws the eye upwards and bears the Kunsthal’s logo. A second, terraced ramp houses the auditorium and beneath it the Kunsthal’s attractive café. Originally, the main entrance was placed at the junction of these two ramps.
Noteworthy is the use of myriad materials, including costly travertine marble as well as inexpensive corrugated plastic, concrete and even tree trunks. The diversity of its facades and interesting elements, such as a protruding orange beam on Westzeedijk, give the building a progressive and multifaceted character.
Just weeks shy of celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Kunsthal made worldwide headlines when it was burglarised on the night of 15 to 16 October 2012. Seven masterpieces (two by Claude Monet and the others by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Paul Gauguin, Lucian Freud and Meijer de Haan) on loan from the Triton Foundation and together estimated at approximately 18 million euros, went missing, never to be found again. When the building underwent a seven-month renovation in 2013, extra security measures were implemented. Yet the main reason
for the facelift was improving its sustainability. The building was better isolated and made more energy efficient, reducing annual consumption by about 30%. Furthermore, the main entrance was made more accessible and moved to Museumpark. The Kunsthal reopened on 1 February 2014 and continues to attract both architecture enthusiasts who come to marvel at its design as well as art lovers enticed by its many exhibitions.
VAST SPECTRUM OF ART DISCIPLINES
Encompassing a total exhibition space of 3,300 square metres, the Kunsthal cannot really be called a museum, since it does not have its own permanent collection. Instead, it is a gathering place for a vast spectrum of art disciplines, offering a podium to well-known artists and new talent from every corner of the globe. Approximately 25 exhibitions are held every year next to other events and activities. An example is the annual All You Can Art event, which takes place during the summer and shows how art functions as a uniting force for everyone, not just artists or those interested in art. Also worth mentioning is the Kunsthal Light exhibition held three times a year since 2011. During a period of eight weeks, an emerging artist is given free reign over Hall 6, where they can create a site-specific work from start to finish. The Kunsthal can simultaneously host up to five exhibitions and has seen its fair share of blockbusters in the past thirty years. Among them, The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk; held in the spring of 2013, the retrospective marked the 35th anniversary of the famous French fashion designer and drew roughly 170,000 visitors.
Whether you’re into cutting-edge fashion, photography, contemporary art or old masters, there’s always a reason to visit the Kunsthal, not only Rotterdam’s illustrious art mecca, but also a building exemplary of the city’s architectural allure.
“the Kunsthal was destined to become a beacon of art in the broadest sense of the word.”Jeroen Musch Ossip van Duivenbode