The Museum Voorlinden opens next week with a major Ellsworth Kelly show. The opening marks the debut of Wim Pijbes, former Rijksmuseum director, as the head of private museum collection. In this case, the museum is a project of collector Joop van Caldenborgh. He and Pijbes both spoke to the Washington Post:
Pijbes describes Van Caldenborgh as an adventurous collector with “a good eye” who bought many works by young artists who went on to become household names.
“It’s not so difficult to buy a Damien Hirst nowadays,” Pijbes said. “If you have millions, just go ahead.”
The second special exhibit focuses on the work of American abstract artist Ellsworth Kelly. Major institutions from around the world, including London’s Tate and the Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, sent Kelly works for the first major European retrospective since the artist’s death late last year at age 92.
It was a labor of love for Van Caldenborgh and guest curator Rudi Fuchs, formerly of Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum.
“Kelly was one of his first loves as a collector,” Pijbes said. “This really is a dream exhibition for Mr. Van Caldenborgh. This is typically the kind of art — so pure and elegant— it’s made for the building, or vice-versa you could say the building is made to serve or celebrate the color and the works of Kelly. They go together very well.”
New private museum showcases Dutch tycoon’s art collection (Washington Post)