Kunsthal Rotterdam

On Sunday 21 June, the ninth edition of Museumpark Friends Day takes place! Chabot Museum, Natural History Museum, Nieuwe Instituut, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and the Kunsthal once again open their doors together for all Friends of the institutions surrounding the Museumpark. With this special day, we would like to thank our Friends for their involvement, enthusiasm and support. As a Friend, you are warmly invited to visit a variety of exhibitions and take part in special guided tours at the participating institutions. We look forward to making it a special day together!

Programme

To thank you as a Friend, we have once again organised an inspiring programme around this year’s theme: Beneath the Surface. Curator Bram Langeveld (Natural History Museum) opens the day with the question: “What lies hidden beneath our feet in the Museumpark?” Bram will show how he is currently quite literally diving into Rotterdam’s underground. The fossils he retrieves from soil drillings tell a story spanning millions of years.

You can register by emailing aanmelden@kunsthal.nl. Are you a Kunsthal Friend and would you like to bring a guest? You are very welcome to do so!

Choose your own route

The programme is divided into three rounds. During each round, you can choose on-site which activity or tour you would like to join at one of the participating institutions. Be sure to arrive on time, as the number of spots per activity is limited.

Please note: you will choose which guided tours to join on the day itself. From 12:00 hrs onwards, we will welcome you at our desk at Nieuwe Instituut. Arrive on time so you can join the tour(s) of your choice. And if you still happen to have last year’s cheerful keycord, don’t forget to bring it along!

Which guided tours can you choose from?

At the Kunsthal, you will explore beyond the visible together with a guide in the exhibition Flowers Forever, fully connected to the theme Beneath the Surface. The exhibition examines the role of flowers throughout the centuries, from religious symbol to commodity and political instrument.

Become a Kunsthal Friend

Do you enjoy visiting the Kunsthal and do you love almost everything we do? Become a Kunsthal Friend today. Read more about Kunsthal Membership via the following link.

The programme at the other museums in the Museumpark

Natuurhistorisch museum
What is now Rotterdam has been home to all kinds of animals for millions of years. Deep soil drillings have brought fossil evidence of this to the surface. See them with your own eyes! Especially for Friends Day, these objects have been taken out of storage. Afterwards, they will once again disappear safely beneath the surface.

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
At the Depot of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, you will learn more about the restoration of Van Gogh’s Poplar Avenue. This year, dive into the literal and figurative layers of the long-term restoration project of Poplar Avenue in Nuenen.

Nieuwe Instituut
Fungi fulfil a wide range of human needs and are increasingly gaining ground in design and architecture. The exhibition FUNGI. Anarchist Designers shows that fungi are more than sustainable design materials. They are independently operating organisms that encourage us to think differently about growth, exploitation and coexistence. Discover this through an interactive guided experience: not a traditional tour, but a shared exploration together with a maker or designer.

Chabot Museum
Henk Chabot, the namesake of the Chabot Museum, painted people: working on the land, fleeing, and living through war. In his work, he tried to get “beneath the surface” of the figures he painted, revealing who they truly are at their core. During a guided tour through the brand-new Depot Chabot, located on the fifth floor of Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, you will dive deeper into Chabot’s oeuvre. Curator Kristel Witkam will introduce you to his work up close. In addition, art historian Simon Oosterhuis will tell you more about his current provenance research into Chabot’s collection pieces, using archival material.