Many probably don'trealize there is another museum in The Netherlands, with the second largest collection of Van Gogh works in the world, the Kröller-Müller Museum.
Van Gogh lived from 1853 to 1890, so this year (2003) is the 150th celebration of his birth, and special events are planned around the country.
My husband and I had recently seen an exhibition on Van Gogh in Chicago, and had spent a day at the Van Gogh Museum while in Amsterdam. Now we wanted to visit the Kröller-Müller, so we chose a tour that also goes to Het Loo Palace, an important part of Dutch history. Our guide, Hadassah, spoke affectionately of the Dutch royal family, and said that many Dutch people feel the same.
The Palace is near Apeldoorn and the Kröller-Müller is in the National Park de Hoge Veluwe, about 70 kilometers east of Amsterdam. The trip took us through fertile farmland along the Vecht River, studded with pretty villages of neat houses, lace curtains at open windows.
Our first stop was Het Loo (pronounced 'low') which was approached through thick forest. Prince William of Orange and his wife Mary, who later became King and Queen of England, built the initial palace, starting in 1685. And, as the area abounded in game, he intended it mainly as a hunting lodge. The palace was home to Queen Wilhelmina from 1948-1962 and, until 1975, Princess Margriet was the last royal to live here. After extensive restoration it opened as a National Museum in 1984.
The stables are at the entrance -- so big and beautiful that we first thought they were the palace. They are now used for exhibitions and to display old carriages and vehicles.
A beech-lined walkway leads to the enormous palace, brick facade with plain shutters, and a huge entrance court with fountains. Later, looking down from the roof top, viewing all the wings and gardens, we could see that the palace is even bigger than we'd thought.
The gardens are fashioned in Renaissance-Italian style, with echos of Tivoli, although these are far more beautiful than Tivoli is now.
The original plans for them had been found, so the reconstructions are accurate: huge symmetrical squares,
each with a pattern created from neatly manicured low hedges, with dashes of color from bushes and flowers.
Water gurgles and sprays in fountains of all sizes, some in marble, some shining gold in color.
Bees buzz around the perfumed flowers in the tidy beds divided by neatly raked gravel.
From our vantage point we could appreciate the grand design of it all.
There are no corridors in the palace, just one room leading to another, with extensions added
over the years, in no chronological order, and more opulent and decorated than we expected
The rooms gleamed with marble, gilt, gold, wood, brocaded walls and inlaid furniture. Note the William and Mary rooms, hunting trophy room, enormous reception rooms,
thrones, gorgeous desks, and old books. We wandered around absorbing the history, with details noted on convenient information boards.
Upon visiting the Kroller-Muller Museum, we learned that Mrs. Kroller-Muller was a wealthy philanthropic art collector. She was advised soon after Van Gogh's death to buy his paintings,
so someone had already recognized his talent. If only that recognition had come sooner, who knows what he might have done.
Van Gogh sold only one canvas before his suicude, was penniless and not recognized at
his death. Among his last recorded words was the question, "But what's the use"? The use
has become very clear. Considered one of the founding fathers of modern art, he would have been gratified that ...100 years later, his works, so venerated... there's a whole museum of his works where thousands of fans pour in daily, spending thousands of dollars. ...that the Japanese have a special feeling for him and bid for his 'Sunflowers' at great expense.
The museum is light and airy, everything beautifully displayed. It doesn't focus exclusively
on Van Gogh, but also has works by other Dutch painters and some French Impressionists.
Though there's about 200 Van Gogh works in the collection, but we saw only the current selection of 50.
Arranged in chronological order around a patio, we could easily see the changes in his style, reflecting his changing environment and much of his inner life. We saw the contrast between
the somber early works 'The Potato Eaters , The Weavers' and the later, more brightly
colored and dynamic paintings, such as 'The Olive Grove' and flower paintings. It's a great collection and we were delighted that we had made the trip.
Besides the Museum and the adjoining Sculpture Garden, De Hoge Veluwe Park offers
hiking, picnicking, and free bike riding. Numbering around one thousand, they're called White Bikes because they are painted white. People can borrow them, ride around and then leave them at designated spots.
With such a varied day of history and art, exercise and rest, our tour of Palace and Paintings was complete.
About the photos:
Top: Walking through Het Loo forest.
Next: The stables reflect the king's love of hunting and his horses.
Next: The Palace and part of the gardens. Note the manicured hedges and marble fountain.
Bottom: An overview of the gardens as seen from the roof.
(Photos prohibited inside the Kroller-Muller Museum)
If you go:
Plan at least 3 hours to see the Palace and Gardens, the same for the Kroller-Muller Museum and the Sculpture Gardens, plus another hour to ride bikes or stroll in the park. We had an excellent lunch in an old farmhouse, Cafe Rijzenburg, in the Arnhem area, on the way from the Palace to the Museum. There are also good restaurants at the Palace, in the tearoom at the entrance to the park, and at the Kroller-Muller Museum.
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