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Read aloud

'The depot is a wonderful example of enterprise'

Interview with Antoinette Laan, former Rotterdam lead councillor.

‘I shall never forget it,’ says Antoinette Laan, former lead councillor for art and culture. She recalls how she was at home one evening reading some documents. It was raining cats and dogs outside. At 9.30 the telephone rang. It was museum director Sjarel Ex. ‘The depots are flooding!’ he announced. ‘This really is the last straw. We’ve got to do something about it and do it now!’

It sounds as though he was being rather dramatic. Was he?

Yes, and of course that’s not surprising. Sjarel was not concerned about himself but about the city’s art. He was and is the custodian, so he has overall responsibility. Sjarel was one of the first people to approach me when I became a lead councillor in 2010. He told me the distressing story about the poor condition of the museum’s storage facilities. After his call it was clear that something had to be done about it. The city council was also faced with the problem of having to cut a whopping 500 million out of its 4.3-billion-euro budget. Initially we had a culture budget of 90 million a year and we had to reduce that to 77 million.

There were two options on the table for the depot: a sort of Fort Knox on the city’s outskirts or a facility open to the public. Despite the budget cuts, the latter, more expensive, option was chosen. How did that happen?

The city council couldn’t pay for it all itself, but Stichting De Verre Bergen, Rotterdam’s social investment fund, came into the picture. They had approached Sjarel and wanted to provide part of the funding for the building. The reason was that they wanted to add something to the city. Hamit Karakus, lead councillor for spatial development, was also of the opinion that one should do something for the city now and again. As a city executive, we wanted to give Rotterdam a shot in the arm and make the collection accessible to the general public. Despite the need to cut spending, we therefore decided unanimously that we should nevertheless go ahead. Perhaps that’s typical of our city – don’t take no for an answer.

'Another iconic building is added to the city. It shows that Rotterdam continues to reinvent itself.'

Antoinette Laan, former Rotterdam lead councillor.

You represented the right-wing VVD (People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy) in the city executive. Your party’s attitude is ‘it’s all very well supporting culture, but an institution should be able to pay for its own upkeep’.

Yes, I’ve heard that before. Actually, I always take it as a compliment if someone says that. I’m a supporter of enterprise, and this is a wonderful example. The museum’s people had a dream and they realized they could not be dependent solely on government. They came up with a solution for the financing themselves. What they’ve achieved so far is magnificent, in part because they looked beyond the limits of their own organization and immediate environment. As a culture lover and a member of the VVD, I admire them greatly.

What role will the depot play for Rotterdammers, businesses and visitors?

We need to make the people of Rotterdam more aware of the fact that the museum’s collection belongs to us all. You’ll soon be able to see everything in the depot and it belongs to you, too. This is how we can get more people involved and lower the cultural threshold. The private sector has the opportunity to show how well cooperation with a cultural institution can work out. We can create something splendid that both parties can benefit from, and the costs are also shared. And another iconic building is added to the city for all Rotterdam’s residents, businesses and visitors. It shows that Rotterdam continues to reinvent itself. That is the city’s talent.

Cube Houses (1984).
Cube Houses (1984).
Erasmus Bridge (1996).
Erasmus Bridge (1996).
Central Station (2014).
Central Station (2014).

Are you still in touch with depot developments?

If I see something in the newspaper, I read it immediately. I was in the neighbourhood not long ago and walked around the depot. I was very impressed by the way the building is growing. I’m hoping, once it’s open and I go inside, that it’s really succeeded in making the collection more accessible. I’m already looking forward to it!

Depot Journal

This article has been published before in Depot Journal #2 which is part of a series of six. If you would like to receive all the printed Depot journals by post, please send an email to info@boijmans.nl with your full name and address, reference ‘receive Depot Journals’.