Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten extends celebration of its 150th anniversary
Today, exactly 150 years ago, the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten was established by law by King William III. Earlier this year, the Rijksakademie launched the anniversary programme 'Activating Pasts, Practising Futures', filled with talks, presentations and renewed collaborations.
Not only to share the rich history of the Rijksakademie, but also to look ahead at the artistic practice of today and tomorrow.
Despite the limitations and challenges posed by the Covid-19 virus, the Rijksakademie goes ahead with its planned festivities. The programme will be extended in a modified form until 26 May 2021 and includes, among other things, the publication in July of the Amsterdam city map 'Rijksakademie on the map, 150 years [art works] in Amsterdam'. The map contains 450 works in the public space by artists who were associated with the Rijksakademie. In the autumn, an exhibition will be held in the Amsterdam Museum highlighting 150 years of Rijksakademie.
The Rijksakademie has faced a lot of challenges, survived two world wars and periods of severe budget cuts over the past 150 years. Yet it always fulfilled its main objective of enabling artists from the Netherlands and far beyond to develop both their work and their ideas. With this in mind, it was decided to extend the residency period for the current residents – as they were temporarily unable to use all the facilities because of the Corona outbreak – and to revise the annual planning. A decision that has affected the new dates for the Open Studios.
