‘Henry, de Statistocraat’, Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag (NL)
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From the 2nd of December, the foyer of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag features the new artwork Henry, de Statistocraat by Atelier 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.
Distinctive Desk
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. Museum director 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.”
Berlage and Van der 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. 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.
Photography: Gerrit Schreurs