New website 'Buitenkunst Den Haag' invites
launch Thursday 3 June 2021
The city of The Hague has a rich collection of artworks in public space with hundreds of statues, plaques, sculptures and reliefs. Information about all these works can be found from this summer on the Buitenkunst Den Haag website (bkdh.nl), a project of the municipality in collaboration with Stroom Den Haag. All data per work of art are now bundled together with information about meaning and location online and accessible to everyone. It is now possible to go out and about in your own city online or to use the information as inspiration for a summer outing. Thursday 3 June, culture alderman Robert van Asten and Alexandra Landré, the new artistic director of Stroom, were the first to make a cycling tour of sculptures in the city centre using the new website.
Photography: Valerie Kuypers
Free open-air museum
The amount and diversity of art in the public space of The Hague is overwhelming. The website offers text and images about monuments of historical figures such as William of Orange, Thorbecke, and Drees Sr., but of course also about the striking statue of Haagse Harry on the Grote Markt or the work The Frog with Umbrella by Karel Appel. The site is the gateway to all information about art in public spaces in The Hague, conveniently arranged by artist, period and type of work of art. It is also possible to search by title or via the map. In this way, everyone can see whose sculpture is around the corner. With information in Dutch and English, it is a wonderful new 'tool' for the residents of The Hague, but also for tourists and online visitors.
Discovering art on the streets of The Hague
Whether it's Het Schillenpaard in the Schilderswijk or James Turrell's Hemels Gewelf in Kijkduin, we all have a work of art that is dear to us or that intrigues us. With the new website, it is easy to find out who the artist is, and whether there are any other sculptures by him/her in the city, for example.
Work in progress
Stroom The Hague, responsible for the implementation of the municipal policy in the field of art in public space, was asked to manage the new website. We first concentrated on the sculptures in the city centre. Those are currently on the site (over 170). The works of art in the other parts of the city will be added in the course of time. In total, there are more than 550 outdoor sculptures spread throughout the city. For questions, the supply of additional information or damage reports, users can contact Stroom via info@bkdh.nl.