The Rijksmuseum has acquired one of the earliest depictions of America — a painting by Jan Mostaert from circa 1535 titled “Landscape with an Episode from the Conquest of America.”
Netherlands
What’s Happening to Culture in Europe?
The latest news from Europe this week is that everything is falling apart — at least in terms of arts and culture. And it’s depressing.
Is Holland Going Through a Cultural Meltdown? [UPDATED]
You may have seen it in the New York Times: a half-page ad warning readers “Do not enter the Netherlands. Cultural meltdown in progress.” The ad (which apparently cost $26,000) was bought by a group called Dutch Artists 2011 to protest the catastrophic funding cuts proposed by Holland’s Geert Wilders, the far-right leader of the Party for Freedom (the third largest political party in the country). Wilders would cut arts funding from €800 million to €200 million, decimating Dutch cultural organizations. Where does the situation stand now?
Droog Design Invites Designers to Re-interpret Corporate Refuse
Sure the economy is still crappy, but Netherlands-based Droog design has found another way to be creative. In the past several months they have been bidding on liquidation auction items from bankrupt companies and they have invited 14 designers to re-interpret them.