Bonnefantenmuseum

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Bonnefanten Museum
Rocket-shaped cupola of the Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht-Centrum (DSCF7938).jpg
Bonnefantenmuseum
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Established1884
LocationAvenue Céramique 250, Maastricht, Netherlands
Coordinates 50°50′33.1044″N5°42′7.1424″E / 50.842529000°N 5.701984000°E / 50.842529000; 5.701984000
DirectorStijn Huijts
Website www.bonnefanten.nl
Maquette of Bonnefantenmuseum Bonefant1.JPG
Maquette of Bonnefantenmuseum

The Bonnefanten Museum is a museum of historic, modern and contemporary art in Maastricht, Netherlands. [1]

Contents

History

The museum was founded in 1884 as the historical and archaeological museum for the Dutch province of Limburg. The name Bonnefanten Museum is derived from the French 'bons enfants' ('good children'), the popular name of a former convent that housed the museum from 1951 until 1978.

In 1995, the museum moved to its present location, a former industrial site named 'Céramique'. [2] The new building was designed by Italian architect Aldo Rossi. With its rocket-shaped cupola overlooking the river Maas, it is one of Maastricht's most prominent modern buildings. [3]

Since 1999, the museum has become exclusively an art museum. The historical and archaeological collections were housed elsewhere, partially at the Limburg Museum in Venlo. The museum is largely funded by the province of Limburg.

In 2009, the museum celebrated its 125th anniversary with the exhibition Exile on Main Street, celebrating modern and contemporary American art. [4] Stijn Huijts has been director since 2012. [5]

Collection

The combination of historic art and contemporary art under one roof gives the Bonnefanten Museum a distinctive character. The department of old masters is located on the first floor and displays highlights of early Italian, Flemish and Dutch painting. Exhibited on the same floor is the museum's extensive collection of medieval sculpture. The contemporary art collection is usually exhibited on the second floor and focuses on American Minimalism, Italian Arte Povera and Concept Art. The second and third floors are also used for temporary exhibitions.

Historic Art

The collection of historic paintings and sculptures of the Bonnefanten Museum consists of four main sections:

Contemporary art

Since Alexander van Grevenstein became director in 1986, the Bonnefanten Museum has focused mainly on contemporary art. The main focus of the permanent collection is on:

The collection also features video art and room-size installations by younger artists: Atelier Van Lieshout, Francis Alÿs, David Claerbout, Patrick Van Caeckenbergh, Roman Signer, Franz West, Pawel Althamer.

In 2011, a deal was negotiated between the collectors Jo and Marlies Eyck and the province of Limburg. The result was that the Eyck collection of postwar art and the castle of Wijlre and its grounds, are now part of the museum.

Visitor numbers

All figures are from museum year reports. [6]

YearNumberNotes
2023c.154,000
2022c.110,000
2021c.67,000The museum was partial closed due to coronavirus measures
2020unstatedThe museum was partial closed due to coronavirus measures
2019c.147,000
2018c.129,000
2017c.114,000
2016c.133,000

Governance

The current director is Stijn Huijts. He replaced Alexander van Grevenstein, who became director in 1986. [7] As of 2023, there are 53 permanent staff at the museum. [8] The budget, in 2023, was around €9.9m, of which €6.5m was received in funding from the province of Limburg. [8]

See also

Bibliography, references and notes

  1. ↑ "Bonnefanten | Museum/nl\". Museum.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2024-11-27. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  2. ↑ "Verken het gebouw". www.bonnefanten.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  3. ↑ Martin Dunford (2010). The Rough Guide to The Netherlands. Penguin. pp. 327–328. ISBN   978-1-84836-882-8 . Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  4. ↑ "Exile on Main Street – Imagine" . Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  5. ↑ "Stijn Huijts zoekt het Bonnefanten-dna". Zout Magazine (in Dutch). 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  6. ↑ "ANBI". www.bonnefanten.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  7. ↑ "Alexander van Grevenstein treedt af als directeur Bonnefantenmuseum – De Witte Raaf" (in Flemish). Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  8. 1 2 2023 Jaarverslag, Bonnenfanten Museumhttps://www.bonnefanten.nl/nl/organisatie/over/anbi/bonnefanten-jaarverslag-2023.pdf/@@download/file
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