When I see my brother and his wife I generally just see him at my parents’ or visit his house. This time though, we decided to do something else. Since many things are open again, we ventured into a museum. The Kröller Müller museum of modern art stands right in the Veluwe national park and many people combine it with a bike ride through nature.
We opted just to visit the museum this time. The day couldn’t decide what kind of weather it wanted. It was really hot and humid, with the occasional crazy downpour. We bought tickets to enter the national park and could drive all the way to the museum. At the museum we were surprised by the sign with the corona rules. You could only visit with one household. I guess I was now part of my brother’s household. The rules are a bit strange. I can visit him but I can’t visit a museum with him?
Anyway, nobody asked us how we knew each other. A friendly lady at the front asked if we’d been sick recently or experienced any symptoms. She then explained they’d made a route to follow for the indoor part and showed us where to go. Our tickets were checked and then we ended up at a red light at the toilets. A toilet visit was now regulated so it doesn’t get too crowded!
The Kröller Müller is named after Helene Kröller Müller who was an avid collector of art. In 1938 the museum opens to show the collection to the public. The museum houses the second biggest Van Gogh collection in the world (after the van Gogh museum in Amsterdam). But the museum also has a huge garden where you can freely stroll and enjoy the art. Because the weather is nice we decide to explore the garden first.
There are a lot of sculptures from stone, but also other works. We see a huge tower made of steel cables and cilinders. The “needle tower” was made in 1968 by Kenneth Snelson. The Kröller Müller hosted an exhibition with 6 of his works and then purchased this one to display permanently. We also walk through some open ‘buildings’ where sculptures are displayed together. Before a coffee break we enter the “jardin d’émail” from Jean Dubuffet. This huge ‘playground’ is particularly popular with all the kids who love that they get to actually climb a piece of art.
Inside we follow the prescribed route and walk past some changing exhibitions first. One houses some tigers that are shot with dozens of arrows. A real statement, using one of the bigger rooms for this. When we near the collection of paintings it gets much busier. The museum only lets a certain amount of people into the museum, but because it started raining and it’s nearing closing time everyone is now inside. Signs indicate how many people can go into a room, but it’s hard to control and people don’t really obey the signs.
A big part of the museum shows the van Gogh’s. There are earlier works that are darker and show people in the countryside and their lives in the countryside. And then there are the paintings in the well known style, showing beautiful, vibrant colors that catch your eye. I love the bridge Vincent van Gogh painted in Arles, in France. But besides van Gogh, you can also find Mondriaan, Picasso and many others. We stroll past all the works and leave the museum just when it’s closing. I guess a minimum of 3 hours is necessary to see it all at a comfortable pace. But after that, I’d had enough art for a day 😀
