THE HAGUE.- In True Colors,
Kunstmuseum Den Haag presents a selection of works from the AkzoNobel Art Foundation’s contemporary collection, in dialogue with iconic works from the museum’s own collection. The exhibition centers on the universal themes of color, space, the individual and society. A unique combination of artists brings these themes to life in the museum’s magnificent galleries.
The AkzoNobel Art Foundation has been an important player in the art world for almost thirty years. The foundation supports talented young artists as well as established artists with commissions and acquisitions. These artworks literally bring color to the daily lives of employees and guests at the offices of the Dutch paints and coatings manufacturer. Eight years ago, the Art Foundation opened an art space at its headquarters in Amsterdam that is accessible to the public free of charge. Works from the art collection are regularly on loan in museums in the Netherlands and abroad, though this is the first time that the art collection is the main focus of a museum show.
Color in all its facets is one of the key elements of both the AkzoNobel Art Foundation’s collection policy and this exhibition, alongside the subjects of space, the individual and society. True Colors features work by more than sixty artists worldwide, whose work addresses these subjects. Work from the AkzoNobel Art Foundation by Steven Aalders, Yael Bartana, Ann Veronica Janssens, Emma Talbot, Alan Uglow, Marthe Wéry and others enter into a dialogue with work from Kunstmuseum Den Haag’s collection, by Donald Judd, Sarah Lucas, Piet Mondrian, Bridget Riley, Charley Toorop and others. Color brings together interesting combinations. Works by herman de vries and Pieter Paul Pothoven (AkzoNobel Art Foundation), that explore color and pigments, share a space with the work of Isa Genzken (Kunstmuseum Den Haag), who uses a highly industrial palette.
Elsewhere in the exhibition, simplicity of form, exploration and complexity of color scheme highlights painter Steven Aalders’ (AkzoNobel Art Foundation) kinship with predecessors like Piet Mondrian and Donald Judd (Kunstmuseum Den Haag).
Artists often flawlessly know how to identify and depict our vulnerabilities, portraying who we are and where we are, both as a society and as individual. An important pillar in the collection of the AkzoNobel Art Foundation and in that of the Kunstmuseum is 'la condition humaine'; the essence of being human, and the quest for identity. True Colors therefore unfolds to reveal a rich variety of images and stories that cast a sharp eye over today’s turbulent world. Otobong Nkanga, for example, uses a poetic visual language as a plea against the exploitation of the earth. And Femmy Otten and Buhlebezwe Siwani reveal the essence of humanity in all its strength and fragility.
Hester Alberdingk Thijm, director of the AkzoNobel Art Foundation, built the collection over three decades, always considering any potential acquisition’s interaction with works already in the collection. “This has created strong connections which are a dynamic invitation to further enrich the collection with future work. It is so interesting to be able not only to build the collection into the future, but also to root it more deeply in the past, in Kunstmuseum Den Haag’s modern art collection, with artists to which many contemporary artists in our collection owe so much.”
Kunstmuseum Den Haag considers True Colors as a great opportunity to provide a platform for contemporary artists whose work is not represented in its own collection. “The AkzoNobel Art Foundation’s collection is very current, and the combinations we will be making in this exhibition will therefore update our collection, allowing us to look at it with new eyes, and gain new perspectives and insights”, says Doede Hardeman, Head of Collections at Kunstmuseum Den Haag.
True Colors - AkzoNobel Art Foundation at Kunstmuseum Den Haag promises an exciting mix of work from different generations and disciplines. Young international talents stand side by side with renowned artists, in complementary combinations, telling a powerful and colorful story, both literally and metaphorically. A narrative deeply rooted in art history while resonating with the pulse of contemporary society.
