Everyone needs vitamin C from Ceramics, Creativity and Culture. Especially a ceramist like me. And what you get from afar is always better. That’s why, when we were in South Limburg (see previous blog), we also visited the Tiendschuur in Tegelen. We were just on time to see the exhibition “More Organics“.
But of course you don’t have to go far to soak up culture. Everywhere there are museums and galleries where you can score a vitamin shot.
Also in Purmerend where I fire my ceramics. We got back just in time to enjoy the “Ceramics from the Dutch National Art Collection” exhibition.
I’d love to tell you more about it, but let’s start this blog at the beginning…
The Tiendschuur
This Museum in Tegelen is unique in the Netherlands. The collection includes both historical and contemporary ceramics. We had been here before, but because of the always surprising exhibitions around a certain theme, you can not visit this place often enough as a ceramics lover.
In the exhibition “More Organics ” nature was the connecting factor this time. And “naturally” this fits perfectly with the essence of much of the work by contemporary ceramists. But as always, if you put thirteen ceramists together, you get thirteen (or fourteen) different angles.
With great pleasure I inhaled the clay air in this vitamin-rich environment.
Purmerends Museum
Back home in Purmerend, we could just enjoy the last day of the exhibition “Ceramics from the Dutch National Art Collection “. This was not only great because we could see modern ceramics. It was also historically a very interesting Dutch art experiment from the2nd half of the last century.
This national collection consists of works of art acquired by the government through the “Sculptural Artists Regulation“. This -in Dutch- BKR was a facility from the2nd World War until 1987, with which artists, including ceramists, received help from the government to be able to work independently of the vagaries of the marketplace.
The government gave the admitted artists financial support in exchange for a quid pro quo (the “counter-performance”). Usually a sculpture or a painting, but it could also be another kind of art project. Artists such as Karel Appel, but also ceramists such as Geert Lap and Babs Haenen made use of this arrangement at the time.
In this way, the government came into possession of works of art (for a bargain) and the artists could concentrate on art: “make art not $$$”. To this day, many works of art in government buildings in the Netherlands are from this BKR collection.
Do take a sniff of Vitamin C from Ceramics yourself
Two different exhibits, two completely different perspectives, but both fun to visit, interesting and educational. What more could you want from your vitamin C from ceramics, creativity and culture?
Digital vitamin C is delicious, but every now and then you have to inhale the smell of real Ceramics on the spot.
Where are you going to get your next fix of vitamin C?
Want to read more about vitamin C, contemporary ceramics or the BKR? Then take a look at these books:
- Monument voor de BKR- de geschiedenis van een spraakmakende kunstenaarsregeling (1949-1987) by Fransje Kuyvenhoven (2020). Sorry only available in the Dutch language, but with an English summary and lots of pictures.
- Vitamin C – Clay and Ceramic in Contemporary Art by Phaidon (2021)
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