THE HAGUE.- From today, the foyer at the heart of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag features a new artwork by Joep van Lieshout. The eight-metre-high sculpture is designed to serve as a visitor information desk and is a humorous nod to the ‘rivalry’ between H.P. Berlage, architect of the Gemeentemuseum, and his Belgian contemporary and confrere Henry Van de Velde.

From today, no visitor to the Gemeentemuseum can fail to notice the new acquisition in the centre of the foyer: a sculpture-cum-information desk commissioned from Joep van Lieshout specifically for this location.

The vast size of the structure will make it shamelessly eye-catching, drawing attention not only to itself but also to the sophisticated proportions of Berlage’s architecture. Museum director Benno Tempel says, “By directing the eye upwards, the new reception desk will offer a fresh perspective on Berlage’s great foyer.”

Holland’s enfant terrible
The commission was prompted by the Gemeentemuseum’s desire for a visitor information desk worthy of a great public art gallery. It had to be different from the usual nondescript counters found in railway stations, airports, municipal offices, cinemas and shops.

Benno Tempel: “In many museums, the entrance hall is essentially no different from the equivalent in any railway station or airport. That’s why we’ve brought in the enfant terrible of the Dutch art world to design something completely out of the ordinary. The result is a distinctive information desk that will leave visitors in no possible doubt that this is a space for the arts.”

Henry Van de Velde
Van Lieshout’s creation, Henry, the Statistocrat, makes playful reference to the work of Belgian artist, designer and architect Henry van de Velde – a founder of art nouveau, trailblazer for the later Bauhaus, and famous in the Netherlands primarily as the architect of the Kröller-Müller Museum.

In terms of artistic ideas, Berlage and Van de Velde had much in common: both sought to eliminate the distinction between art and design and to approach architecture as a Gesamtkunstwerk (total art work). At the same time, they were rivals who competed for major contracts – especially for museum buildings. Berlage also produced a design for the Kröller-Müller Museum (which was rejected), and with Henry, the Statistocrat Van de Velde has now placed his stamp on the Gemeentemuseum.

150 years of private initiative
On Friday 2 December, Joep van Lieshout’s artwork was officially presented to the museum by its Association of Friends, which is this year celebrating its 150th anniversary. It was private individuals who took the initiative to establish a Museum of Modern Art (the basis of today’s Gemeentemuseum Den Haag) in 1866. 150 years later, the Friends and other donors still contribute directly not only to the museum’s acquisitions programme, but also to special exhibitions, educational projects and restoration work.