Panorama Mesdag
'I have sometimes been called a museum DJ'
DATE
02 April 2020
TEXT
Jasper Gramsma
IMAGE
Raymond Rutting and Henriette Guest
Since Minke Schat took office as director of Museum Panorama Mesdag in April 2019, her vistas of a new direction for the museum have been taking ever firmer shape. "Connecting, enriching and surprising, that's what I'm all about," she says.
GAsked about her choice of Museum Panorama Mesdag, director Minke Schat dissects the versatility of the museum's namesake and creator of its main 'attraction', Hendrik Willem Mesdag. "He was an artist, collector and entrepreneur.
'I am proud to do this now in the name of Mesdag'
The panorama is Mesdag's artistic highlight and the museum is a testament to his entrepreneurship; he operated it himself for a while and it is still a private museum with the descendants as shareholders. Their mission: to preserve the building and the collection forever. I am very proud to be able to do this now in Mesdag's name."
The Amsterdam-based Frisian - previously co-responsible for the renovation of Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden - allowed herself two hundred days to come up with a "letter of credence" containing her principles.
"As a newcomer, you have an open-minded outlook and it is often short-lived," she explains. "That is why I started walking around a lot, in the museum and in the city, to see what is happening here. That led me to ten propositions to future-proof the museum." In addition to making the building and organisation more sustainable, the propositions serve three goals: connect, enrich and amaze.
'It would be great if we could welcome many more children from The Hague'
"What strikes me about The Hague is its enormous diversity; it is a city where all strata have a place. Their pride is the common denominator, that connects them, that's what I'm banking on." That pride cannot start early enough, if it were up to Schat: "It would be great if, beyond the schoolchildren, we could welcome many more children from The Hague here."
"They live in a city by the sea, but some have never felt sand on their toes. For them, I would like to develop a programme, for instance with the municipality and possible patrons, so that the seed is planted in them too to appreciate the beauty of beach and sea. The universal attractive value of the panorama is an added value here."
Mesdag
Schat also seeks to connect with the city in other areas. "For many, the difference between Museum Panorama Mesdag and The Mesdag Collection is unclear. Then I say: with us you see the artist and the entrepreneur, with them you find the entrepreneur and the collector.
But in fact, both museums together tell the whole story. So we now have a joint friends' association." In an exclusive friends' programme, the panorama obviously plays a major role, as does the connection with the business community - also an emphatic ambition. "What could be nicer than dining on the Belvedere (the viewpoint, ed.) with an introduction by the curator who goes the extra mile?"
Following in Mesdag's footsteps, Schat offers a stage to contemporary artists who are linked to the master in some sense. "Hanna de Haan, for example, recently presented her contemporary panorama here, a woodcut of a fantasy city that gives you a new perspective on city life. A strong work that generated a lot of attention and will soon get a follow-up stage in the city." A rapprochement with the Royal Academy of Arts is also in the cards as far as Schat is concerned. "I find art and science an interesting combination."
TU Delft
The bridge to science brings the director to her second pillar: enrichment. "Scientists of today offer a new perspective on and a contemporary interpretation of Mesdag's work and life. For instance, thanks to research by TU Delft, we know exactly where Mesdag stood to create his panorama. Such current insights contribute to the museum's relevance. We need art to tell beautiful stories, but also to put not beautiful stories on the agenda. It is important that a museum can also have that signal function."
Schat points to a recent collaboration with sound artist Tristan Visser. "His soundscape accompanying the exhibition 'Louis Apol on Nova Zembla' questions the impact of sound pollution at the North Pole. Furthermore, we are busy unlocking Mesdag's archive to tell his story even better."
'What could be better than dining at the Belvedere with an introduction from the curator?'
A "museum attraction", Schat calls Museum Panorama Mesdag. "Everyone understands and is equally impressed by what Mesdag has created with his panorama. That's in the wonder that overwhelms you through the sensory experience, the illusion of perspective, the manipulation of the brain."
Art Rocks
Those aspects Schat deepens further. "I have sometimes been called 'a museum DJ' because I combine disciplines. That's ideally suited to a sensory museum like this one. That's why we participate in Art Rocks, a competition of musicians who write songs based on museum collections. Very exciting: what does art sound like? And in the future, I would also like to do something with scents."
The exhibitions in 2020 fit seamlessly with Schat's ambitions. When the museum is allowed to reopen soon, Schat will present 'Candid', a Hague-based photography collective on the verge of breaking through, which, like Mesdag at the time, operates on beaches until after the summer. "They make surreal snapshots of beachgoers, with alienating compositions that are reminiscent of the work of British photographer Martin Parr.
There's something in it for everyone: for some it's just nice pictures, others also see the artistic qualities. It's a good example of the connection I want to make with the widest possible audience."
Jubilee year
After this 'contemporary intervention', it is George Breitner's turn. Schat: "We are highlighting Breitner in a way that has not been done before: with his horses. The reason is that he painted cavalry on the panorama. Among other things, we are showing special loans from private collections."
In jubilee year 2021, when the panorama celebrates its 140th anniversary and the theme year 'Ode to the Dutch Landscape' kicks off, Breitner will return when all five of the panorama's painters take centre stage. "To that, we will also add a series of contemporary panoramas to reconnect with current events."
text Jasper Gramsma / image Raymond Rutting and Henriette Guest
Since Minke Schat took office as director of Museum Panorama Mesdag in April 2019, her vistas of a new direction for the museum have been taking ever firmer shape. "Connecting, enriching and surprising, that's what I'm all about," she says.
GAsked about her choice of Museum Panorama Mesdag, director Minke Schat dissects the versatility of the museum's namesake and creator of its main 'attraction', Hendrik Willem Mesdag. "He was an artist, collector and entrepreneur.
'I am proud to do this now in the name of Mesdag'
The panorama is Mesdag's artistic highlight and the museum is a testament to his entrepreneurship; he operated it himself for a while and it is still a private museum with the descendants as shareholders. Their mission: to preserve the building and the collection forever. I am very proud to be able to do this now in Mesdag's name."
The Amsterdam-based Frisian - previously co-responsible for the renovation of Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden - allowed herself two hundred days to come up with a "letter of credence" containing her principles.
"As a newcomer, you have an open-minded outlook and it is often short-lived," she explains. "That is why I started walking around a lot, in the museum and in the city, to see what is happening here. That led me to ten propositions to future-proof the museum." In addition to making the building and organisation more sustainable, the propositions serve three goals: connect, enrich and amaze.
'It would be great if we could welcome many more children from The Hague'
"What strikes me about The Hague is its enormous diversity; it is a city where all strata have a place. Their pride is the common denominator, that connects them, that's what I'm banking on." That pride cannot start early enough, if it were up to Schat: "It would be great if, beyond the schoolchildren, we could welcome many more children from The Hague here."
"They live in a city by the sea, but some have never felt sand on their toes. For them, I would like to develop a programme, for instance with the municipality and possible patrons, so that the seed is planted in them too to appreciate the beauty of beach and sea. The universal attractive value of the panorama is an added value here."
Mesdag
Schat also seeks to connect with the city in other areas. "For many, the difference between Museum Panorama Mesdag and The Mesdag Collection is unclear. Then I say: with us you see the artist and the entrepreneur, with them you find the entrepreneur and the collector.
But in fact, both museums together tell the whole story. So we now have a joint friends' association." In an exclusive friends' programme, the panorama obviously plays a major role, as does the connection with the business community - also an emphatic ambition. "What could be nicer than dining on the Belvedere (the viewpoint, ed.) with an introduction by the curator who goes the extra mile?"
Following in Mesdag's footsteps, Schat offers a stage to contemporary artists who are linked to the master in some sense. "Hanna de Haan, for example, recently presented her contemporary panorama here, a woodcut of a fantasy city that gives you a new perspective on city life. A strong work that generated a lot of attention and will soon get a follow-up stage in the city." A rapprochement with the Royal Academy of Arts is also in the cards as far as Schat is concerned. "I find art and science an interesting combination."
TU Delft
The bridge to science brings the director to her second pillar: enrichment. "Scientists of today offer a new perspective on and a contemporary interpretation of Mesdag's work and life. For instance, thanks to research by TU Delft, we know exactly where Mesdag stood to create his panorama. Such current insights contribute to the museum's relevance. We need art to tell beautiful stories, but also to put not beautiful stories on the agenda. It is important that a museum can also have that signal function."
Schat points to a recent collaboration with sound artist Tristan Visser. "His soundscape accompanying the exhibition 'Louis Apol on Nova Zembla' questions the impact of sound pollution at the North Pole. Furthermore, we are busy unlocking Mesdag's archive to tell his story even better."
'What could be better than dining at the Belvedere with an introduction from the curator?'
A "museum attraction", Schat calls Museum Panorama Mesdag. "Everyone understands and is equally impressed by what Mesdag has created with his panorama. That's in the wonder that overwhelms you through the sensory experience, the illusion of perspective, the manipulation of the brain."
Art Rocks
Those aspects Schat deepens further. "I have sometimes been called 'a museum DJ' because I combine disciplines. That's ideally suited to a sensory museum like this one. That's why we participate in Art Rocks, a competition of musicians who write songs based on museum collections. Very exciting: what does art sound like? And in the future, I would also like to do something with scents."
The exhibitions in 2020 fit seamlessly with Schat's ambitions. When the museum is allowed to reopen soon, Schat will present 'Candid', a Hague-based photography collective on the verge of breaking through, which, like Mesdag at the time, operates on beaches until after the summer. "They make surreal snapshots of beachgoers, with alienating compositions that are reminiscent of the work of British photographer Martin Parr.
There's something in it for everyone: for some it's just nice pictures, others also see the artistic qualities. It's a good example of the connection I want to make with the widest possible audience."
Jubilee year
After this 'contemporary intervention', it is George Breitner's turn. Schat: "We are highlighting Breitner in a way that has not been done before: with his horses. The reason is that he painted cavalry on the panorama. Among other things, we are showing special loans from private collections."
In jubilee year 2021, when the panorama celebrates its 140th anniversary and the theme year 'Ode to the Dutch Landscape' kicks off, Breitner will return when all five of the panorama's painters take centre stage. "To that, we will also add a series of contemporary panoramas to reconnect with current events."