As of Saturday 20 December, the Kunsthal Rotterdam presents the historical exhibition ‘Two Hundred Years of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Atlas Van Stolk'. Hundreds of prints, drawings, photographs, cartoons and posters from the Atlas Van Stolk - atlas is an Old Dutch term meaning collection -illustrate the lives of the Dutch people during two centuries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and show how they have viewed themselves over the years.
The exhibition takes visitors on a journey into their lives during this period and compares this with today's social environment. The Second World War plays a pivotal role in this journey. The exhibition is part of the celebrations taking place to mark two hundred years of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (from November 2013 to October2015).
The Atlas Van Stolk
The founder of the Atlas Van Stolk was the Rotterdam-born timber merchant Abraham van Stolk. In 1835, driven by a passion for the history of his fatherland, he began collecting pictures that would provide a broad perspective on society as it was in his day. The collection, which was further expanded by several generations of the Van Stolk family, now contains over a quarter of a million pictures and is still growing. The Atlas is one of the largest image collections in the Netherlands to date.
Image carriers past and present
Not only did ideas and opinions change significantly with time, the image carriers themselves also changed, in the past with the advent of photography, and today with the popularity of amateur photography and Photoshop. Even images from the very recent past quickly lookoutdated, partly due to the explosive increase in television and Internet filmsand images. The images in the exhibition provide a glimpse of the past and complement the collective memory of the Dutch people. The stories behind the images bring recognition and surprise, and are a reflection of the Dutch people's past and present.
A dramatic change
Using themes from an essay by author Rudy Kousbroek as a basis, the exhibition illustrates life in the Netherlands from 1813 to the present day. In his essay (Restjes Anathema's 9, 2010), Kousbroek states that Dutch society remained more or less unchanged for thousands of years, but that their way of life began to change dramatically after 1950. Within just a few generations, ideas and views on both urban and rural life, the segregation and desegregation of society, civil assertiveness and women's emancipation were radically transformed. From the 1950s, prosperity increased and society's relationship with authority began to change. The police were regarded as more approachable, the church lost significant influence and women became more independent than ever before. The arrival of labour migrants promoted social discussion on the subjects of integration and civil integration. All this affected the composition of the Dutch population, its appearance and outward style, how the people interacted, and how society was illustrated.
2006
Press
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1909
1959
Partners
Elise Mathilde Fonds
De doelstelling van het Elise Mathilde fonds is de ondersteuning van behoeftige personen en instellingen die een algemeen sociaal, cultureel of ideïl doel nastreven.
Gemeente Rotterdam
The local authority, gemeente Rotterdam, wants a strong cultural climate for the city Rotterdam. The local authority wants to create optimal conditions for the production of art and culture, for the accessibility and for sharing the information, knowledge and resources. There is more behind the terms art and culture such as visual arts, theatre, dance, music, museums and film.
VSB Fonds
Sinds zijn start in 1990 heeft VSBfonds vele initiatieven en projecten ondersteund die bijdragen aan de kwaliteit van de Nederlandse samenleving. Sinds 1990 heeft VSBfonds voor 661 miljoen euro aan maatschappelijke initiatieven en projecten ondersteund.
Stichting Bevordering van Volkskracht
Volkskracht supports everyone with a good plan for Rotterdam. In the almost 90 years of its existence Volkskracht made a lot of things (partly) possible. Heavy metal concerts, circus festivals, but also vegetable gardens for children and the renovation of a large theater. Always in cooperation with the people of Rotterdam. Rotterdam is made with Volkskracht.
Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds
www.cultuurfonds.nl
BankGiro Loterij
Culture connects, inspires, enriches and tells a story where we, Dutch citizens, come from. On the other hand culture is vulnerable and needs to be protected, so that we can enjoy its beauty together with the next generations.