Our collaboration with Kunstmuseum Den Haag
Nationale-Nederlanden has been an exhibition partner of Kunstmuseum Den Haag since 2016. Every year we make it possible to show a new major exhibition.
(Photo: Nick Knight / Trunk Archive, Vivienne Westwood, collectie Harris Tweed, harvest/winter, 1987/1988)
Royals & Rebels – British
2023/2024
The British have made an indelible mark on fashion history. From designers like Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney to the bespoke tailoring of Savile Row, British school uniforms, Scottish tartan and the style of the British Royal Family. The rebels of Swinging London, punks and skinheads also influenced fashion in Britain, as did the royals themselves, including the beloved Princess Diana. As well as a fashion icon, she was also a rebel who used fashion to make a statement. The exhibition Royals & Rebels – British Fashion showed how the Brits have led world fashion.
Couture in black – designs by Cristóbal Balenciaga
2022/2023
Couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895 – 1972) radically changed the fashion scene in the 50s and 60s. Restrictive fits were still very common at the time, but Balenciaga opted for comfort, freedom of movement and volume. For example, he introduced sculptural and complex silhouettes that had never been seen before. The designs came out best in one of his favorite colours: black.
With his work, Balenciaga inspired many others. The Spanish fashion designer was considered 'le maître' among the couturiers. Christian Dior once said, ‘If haute couture is an orchestra, then Balenciaga is the conductor and the rest of us are just the musicians who follow the master's directions.’
(Photo: Irving Penn, Sue Murray in Cristóbal Balenciaga evening dress, Vogue, September 1967 © Condé Nast)
(Photo: Rich Mnisi, Xibelani rok gemaakt van 5 km wol, Zuid-Afrika, Hiya Kaya '21 collectie, 2021. Courtesy Rich Mnisi. Photo: Zander Opperman)
Global Wardrobe – the global fashion connection
2021/2022
The Kunstmuseum's fashion collection is connected to many international cultures. Hand-painted cotton from India, supple Chinese silk, fanciful batik from Indonesia and colourful variations on the Japanese kimono: garments carry the world in them and tell stories of inspiration and connection. The exhibition Global Wardrobe makes the influences of other cultures visible in our fashion image. From imitation in the 18th and 19th centuries, inspiration in the 20th century to innovation in the 21st century.
A Dream of a Museum
2021
The main collection piece of Kunstmuseum Den Haag is the building it is housed in. Designed by Berlage, it was considered very progressive for its time when it opened in 1935. To this day, the building still plays an important role in the experience of the Kunstmuseum. A Dream of a Museum put the spotlight on the museum building through stories, photos, (design) drawings and special archive material.
(Photo: Gerrit Schreurs)
(Photo: Valentino, najaarscollectie couture 2018, Parijs. Copyright: Hollandse Hoogte/REX)
Fashion in Colour
2020/2021
Fashion tells many stories. The symbolism of colour in fashion ads an extra dimension. When you think of love, you think of the color red. Purple is associated with hope and a new beginning. At a time when there is an enormous need for comfort, connection and hope, an exhibition about fashion can offer this. Fashion in Colour showed how the clothes of the past and the fashion of today offer moments of hope and connection.
Erwin Olaf
2019
In collaboration with the Fotomuseum Den Haag, the Kunstmuseum showed the long-awaited retrospective exhibition of Erwin Olaf as a tribute to the photographer. The exhibition showcased Olaf's work from the year 2000 to his latest series, including the Palm Springs series that had never been shown before.
(Photo: Erwin Olaf, Palm Springs, The Kite, 2018. © Erwin Olaf. Courtesy Flatland Gallery)
(Photo: Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch, Strandgezicht, 1887, olieverf op doek, 72,8 x 102,9 cm, Kunstmuseum Den Haag)
Beach Life – The Hague School and Scheveningen
2018
Kunstmuseum Den Haag was co-founded by the painters of The Hague School. The collection houses an impressive collection of their works. Some of these paintings have the famous seaside resort of Scheveningen as their subject. This exhibition showed how the artists captured the beauty of the interplay of air, light and water.
The Discovery of Mondrian
2017
The Kunstmuseum has the largest collection of Mondrian paintings in the world. The exhibition The Discovery of Mondrian showed the complete collection for the first time, which consists of no less than 300 works. From the early adventurous landscapes in and around Amsterdam and Domburg, through the fundamental abstraction in Laren and Paris, all the way to New York. In this last city, Mondrian discovered a radical new rhythm that characterises his final masterpiece, Victory Boogie Woogie (1942-1944).
(Photo: Piet Mondriaan [1872-1944], Avond; De rode boom, 1908-1910 Olieverf op doek, 70 cm x 99 cm, Kunstmuseum Den Haag)
