The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam’s modern art museum, was expanded with a new building designed by Dutch architect Mels Crouwel. Opened in late 2012, the new building has been dubbed as “The Bathtub” by locals due to its exterior oblong shape and entirely smooth white volume. The original structure was built in 1895 and has direct connection on all floors to the new building.

Updated original building interior

The Hermitage Amsterdam is a satellite museum of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia opened in 2004.

ArtZuid 2013 – International Sculpture Route Amsterdam

Started in 2008 to bring attention to the urban expansion of the south of Amsterdam, or known as the Plan-Zuid, seventy sculptures of artists from more than 20 countries are participating in this year’s event.

ARTZUID is an open-air international sculpture exhibition, in which sculpture by international artists is routed through the streets and parks of south Amsterdam. The 2013 event is the third iteration of ARTZUID, which has become bi-yearly since its establishment by Cintha van Heeswijck in late 2008: the first event took place in 2009, and the second, opened by Queen Beatrix, in 2011.

This year’s exhibition opens today, and will run until 22 September. It features works by sixty-one artists from twenty-three countries, set around the theme of Engagement; with artists including Marina Abramović, El Anatsui, Kader Attui, John Chamberlain, Eduardo Chillida, Tony Cragg, Eugène Dodeigne, Folkert de Jong, Dinh Q. Lê, Richard Long, Markus Lüpertz, Jonathan Meese, Mario Merz, Pablo Picasso, Giuseppe Penone, Tom Sachs, Frank Stella, Ai Weiwei, and Erwin Wurm. Works are lent for the exhibition by galleries, foundations, and the artists themselves.

Sculptures will appear in the Vondelpark and Museumplein; and in the area of south Amsterdam known as the Plan Zuid, developed by the Dutch architect H. P. Berlage, and including the Apollolaan, Minervalaan, and Zuidas. Berlage (1856-1934) is considered the father of modern Dutch architecture. The Plan Zuid was an urban expansion plan presented in 1914, for development to the south of the city centre, between the Amstel and Schinkel rivers. The plan was approved in 1917, with work carried out between then and 1925; well in time for the 1928 Olympics, held in the adjacent Olympic Stadium with its complementary design by Jans Wils.

For more information and a full list of the artists involved, visit: 
http://www.artzuid.nl/en/artzuid-2013/

Een week geleden stond er een mooi stuk in het Dagblad van het Noorden over een prachtig land art project in Finsterwolde (Groningen) uit 1969.
Dit was de eerste kennismaking in Nederland met Dennis Oppenheim.
Vorig jaar, het jaar van zijn overlijden, heb ik op ArtZuid in Amsterdam onderstaand werk gezien

Dennis Oppenheim (1938-2011) nam in 1969 een landart project in Finsterwolde (Groningen). Het was de eerste keer dat beeldhouwkunst zich niet beperkte tot beelden op een sokkel maar ook de vorm kon aannemen van een proces in de tijd, dat zich afspeelt op het land in de natuur. Oppenheim zaaide graan in op het land van de kunstlievende boer Waalkens volgens een bepaald patroon, dat tijdens de groei langzaam zichtbaar werd. Daarmee was hij een van de pioniers van Land Art. Dat werk is op het eerste gezicht ver verwijderd van de ironie waarmee hij later installaties aakte voor een specifieke plaats. Door hun commentaar gaven die aan de plek een nieuwe vitaliteit. Zo maakte hij in 2002 Submerged Vessels voor het archeologisch park in Scolacium in Catanzaro in Zuid-Italië. Volgens de mythe is de plek in 700 v.Chr. door de rondzwervende Odysseusgesticht. In de “opgraving” van Oppenheim zijn de boten letterlijk en figuurlijk boven water gehaald en aan het licht gebracht. De kiel bestaat uit hoofden die doen denken aan beelden uit de klassieke oudheid.

Anthony Gormley (UK, 1950), ‘Firmament III’ 2009 [1]

I don’t always ‘get’ sculpture – in the visual arts I respond much more readily and intensely to two dimensional works (painting, drawing, printmaking, photography) – but I’m always open to confronting, and being confronted by, any artwork.

On Saturday we took a leisurely bike ride along the biennial Artzuid: International Sculpture Route in Amsterdam’s leafy Old South. Here are some of the works along the route, some of the weird, and some of the wonderful…

Atta Kwami (Ghana, 1956), ‘Amsterdam Archways 2011′ 2011 [44]

Thomas Houseago (UK, 1972), ‘Red Man’ 2008 [7]

Dhiradj Ramsamoedj (Suriname, 1986), ‘Mighty Man’ 2011 [20]

Koen Vanmechelen (Belgium, 1965), ‘Coming World’ 2011 [14]

Salvador Dali (Spain, 1904-1989), ‘Space Elephant’ [6]

Ugo Rondinone (Switzerland 1963), ‘Sunrise East’ 2007 [28]

Riyas Komu (India, 1971), ‘My Father’s Balcony’ 2006 [40]

Subodh Gupta (India, 1964), ‘Et tu, Duchamp’ 2009 [23]

Yayoi Kusama (Japan, 1929), ‘Flowers that bloom tomorrow’ 2010 [10]

Yubi Kirindongo (Curaçao, 1946), ‘Equus’ 2010 [11]

Jan Fabre (Belgium, 1958), ‘Searching for Utopia’ 2003 [4]

Frederic Beaufils (France 1969), ‘Terroir’ 2009 [48]

Flowers along the route, made by nature (always the great sculptor :)

If you’re in Amsterdam and have a couple of hours to spare, the sculptures will be in place until 28 August 2011. A route map (they’re positioned along the Apollolaan, Minervalaan and in the Zuidas area) can be found here (numbers in [square brackets] in the picture captions above correspond to the numbers on the map).

Jan Fabre (Belgium) - Search for Utopia

This biennial art event (well, the first one was two years ago) is on its way to becoming a major Amsterdam institution. We hope it will get there.

Artzuid (‘Art South’ – a reference to its location in the Old South district) will run from May 27th to August 28th.

A familiar face - Rodin's Balzac

While it’s good to see serious major works by the big boys, I would have liked to see more new work, particularly work specifically created with the location in mind.

One of the joys of Sydney’s annual Sculpture by the Sea is the way many artists approach the task of using the environment, in witty, startling or transforming way.

Amsterdam doesn’t have clifftops overlooking crashing surf, but this site in Oud Zuid is visually interesting in its own way. I’d like to see more use made of the Minervalaan’s perfect avenue of trees and the lawns and gardens of the up-market Apollolaan.

Frederic Beaufils (France) - Terroir

The great thing about a public sculpture exhibition is that everyone has an opinion.

Yayoi Kusama (Japan) - Flowers that bloom tomorrow

Silvie Fleury (Switzerland) - Every minute is special

Mari Shields (USA) - Amsterdam Arboreal

Even for those with little interest in art, it's a good place to play.

Koen Vanmechelen (Belgium) - Coming World. (I particularly like this one.)

To visit the Artzuid website, click here.

If you happen to be in Amsterdam before October 26, 2009 check out ArtZuid, the exhibition along the “Apollolaan” and ” Minervalaan”.

“Puff Marshie”

“Harmless Kitty”

“Agent Orange in the Milky Lake”
photo by Blum&Poe