Donors, friends and guests with a privilege pass may book a single or multiple time slots here
Donors, friends and guests with a privilege pass may book a single or multiple time slots here
Would you also like to experience more Boijmans or give a friendship as a gift? Join as a Friend and get invited for the annual Museumpark Vriendendag. Will we see you or your friend in the depot soon?
From 11 March to 11 June 2017 museum employees are publicly cataloguing and re-assessing the lace collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.
Not many people know that the Boijmans has a large collection of historical lace. The more than 2600 pieces, including some exceptional lace fans, have been hidden away in recent years. That is unjust. Lace is not only beautiful as a component of fashion but has also been highly valued as a costly material in religious services and in interiors in the Netherlands since the 16th century. The earliest examples in the collection were made in Venice in the 15th century. In the centuries thereafter France and the Southern Netherlands (now Belgium) were the most important producers of lace. There are dozens of kinds of lace, which differ in technique and style. Follow this link to learn more about different techniques in lace.
The basis of the museum’s lace collection was laid by the Rotterdam-born businessman Willem Hugo de Monchy, who donated parts of his collection to the museum from the 1950s. Since then the museum has acquired many special pieces from the lace-appreciation society, Het Kantsalet, and from private collectors.
We are currently taking a fresh look at the lace items in our collection in order to get a better picture of the role that this aspect of the collection can play in the museum in the future. What makes the presentation Making Space for Lace unique, is that the process can be followed live in the museum. In the video blog below you can learn more about this project. Please note that the newest episode will appear at the top.
Because the collection will be investigated in the galleries, visitors are not only able to watch as the museum staff inspect and measure the pieces of lace and check their dates and places of origin, but they can also ask questions. On a few days visitors will also be able to bring along their own pieces of lace for assessment. Making Space for Lace is an excellent example of how the museum will work in the future in the Public Art Depot, the world’s first publicly accessible art storage facility, where the public will be actively involved in the conservation process and will be able to watch restorations and other behind-the-scenes activities.
