Current Artists in the Netherlands
The Netherlands are a unique country in many ways. Not many other countries have so much land below sea level, for example, or are so flat, or can claim to have so much reclaimed land. The Netherlands are densely populated and, because of the reclaimed land and the amount of land below sea level, the Netherlands also boasts some very interesting and unique features like canals and dykes and a large network of boats. This uniqueness can also be seen in the art of the Netherlands, both old and new.
The Stedelijk Museum
The Stedelijk Museum houses classic modern and contemporary art in Amsterdam. It is located near Museumplein, which is where many of the major museums in Amsterdam are situated, including the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the Concertgebouw.
The Stedelijk Museum’s collection contains about 90,000 pieces from a variety of artistic fields. Some of the most famous pieces in the Stedelijk Museum’s collection include "The Beanery" by Edward Kienholz and works by the following artists:
The Stedelijk Museum strives to collect stimulating and inspiring contemporary art, and more recently also interesting photography and design objects. As a museum of modern and contemporary art, the Stedelijk also endeavors to stay up to date with new developments in art and design in both its collection and exhibitions.
Digital Art at Stedelijk
In an effort to stay on the cutting edge or artistic and museum trends The Stedelijk Museum has developed “augmented reality” tours or "ARtours." Augmented reality tours will incorporate visitor’s smartphones into the exhibits by allowing users to access extra stories and visuals about the museum collection through their digital devices. Eventually, the ARtours will allow visitors to add their own experiences to the ARtour archive.
The museum is also in the process of digitalizing its historical archives (containing items from 1895 to 1980). This will make searching and storing documents much easier and will allow digital material to be offered through different online portals or off the Stedelijk website.
Emerging Artists in the Netherlands
Guido van der Werve is a relatively new Dutch artist whose interest lays in video work. Originally rained as a pianist, van der Werve uses video and other visual methods to attempt to show musical qualities in a visual way. Much of van der Werve’s work has a melancholy quality to it, achieved, of course, with music, which is so tied in with mood. The combination of music and visual components make van der Werve’s work very moving.