AMSTERDAM.- Amsterdam Art Weekend is the city’s only contemporary art weekend. During this weekend, Amsterdam will be entirely dedicated to contemporary art and the city will confirm its reputation as an international and trendsetting art centre. Thanks to the numerous participating organizations including Annet Gelink Gallery, Galerie Fons Welters and other galleries, post-doc courses such as Rijksakademie (Royal Academy of Visual Arts) and De Ateliers, museums like Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and EYE and multiple alternative art spaces, the public will encounter both established and upcoming artists. This year the four-day programme encompasses more than 50 locations and over 100 events. Amsterdam Art Weekend is organized by Stichting Amsterdam Art (Amsterdam Art Foundation).

‘Art defines a city. Amsterdam has a long historical relationship with the visual arts and Amsterdam Art Weekend continues this tradition. We present visitors the opportunity to discover the dynamic developments going on in the city and to experience the variety on offer. Amsterdam’s open character, combined with the various parties involved, creates a cultural climate to be proud of,’ according to Adriana Gonzalez Hulshof, managing director of Amsterdam Art and Amsterdam Art | Weekend.

Gallery Opening Night
For four days Amsterdam Art Weekend offers its visitors the ideal opportunity to attend a huge variety of openings, debates and activities across the entire city. The theme on Friday 24 November will be ‘Gallery Opening Night’. As part of Amsterdam Art Weekend, 25 selected galleries will open their doors and exhibit the very best national and international work. The programme includes new work by local artists like Tjebbe Beekman, Erik van Lieshout and Han Schuil but also international shows by such luminaries as Evelyn Taocheng Wang, Daniel Richter and Inti Hernandez.

Cultural institutes
Besides galleries, cultural institutes like Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten (Royal Academy of Visual Arts), Stedelijk Museum and Oude Kerk are also major pillars of the programme. The opening of Amsterdam Art Weekend coincides with RijksakademieOPEN, an annual opportunity for the general public to visit artists’ studios at the Royal Academy. Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam will be exhibiting a selection from the Thomas Borgman collection acquired last year. Oude Kerk will be showing a specially developed work by the French artist Christian Boltanski and the Prince Claus Fund will open a new exhibition at its gallery on Herengracht. An overview of the complete programme will be posted on the website in September.

Amsterdam Art Foundation
Stichting Amsterdam Art (Amsterdam Art Foundation) is both a catalyst and a compass for contemporary art. It collaborates on an ongoing basis with major national and international art and cultural institutes. Its objective is to jointly highlight Amsterdam’s exceptional character as a creative and cultural city. The Foundation’s reach and expertise makes it the ideal organization to generate ongoing public interest in the wide range of contemporary art on offer in the metropolitan area. Stichting Amsterdam Art initiates and coordinates Amsterdam Art Weekend, the city’s only contemporary art weekend which attracts more than 46,000 visitors every year.