King Willem-Alexander opened the new H’ART Museum in Amsterdam in June and the first exhibition there: Kandinsky.

The exhibition is a collaboration between H’ART Museum and Center Pompidou, one of the museum’s regular partners, which will also collaborate with the British Museum in London and the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Washington D.C. in the coming years. 

Center Pompidou houses one of the most famous Kandinsky collections in the world. More than sixty works of art have been selected, which together provide an impressive overview of the artist’s oeuvre, presented in a scenographic design by Studio Berry Slok. From his early figurative, almost impressionistic work to his characteristic abstract paintings, which later culminated in more organic and hybrid forms on canvas. Through his works, visitors gain insight into the history of abstract art through the very personal quest of one of the great pioneers. 

Interventions that open eyes and ears 
Two contemporary artists shed new light on Kandinsky’s work in the exhibition. Bink van Vollenhoven (1983) and Søren Siebel (1981) were asked to highlight some specific storylines. The result is a number of interventions and events that inspire the public to look at Kandinsky’s work with different eyes. Siebel is developing a special ‘soundwalk’ in collaboration with a group of makers from the electronic music world. Van Vollenhoven produces a series of videos and animations for young people and adults. With their work, both aim to bring Kandinsky’s relevance to the present with themes such as migration and change, but also music, art and color.

Masterpieces, Dutch scenes and Bauhaus Salon
For this exhibition, a large number of masterpieces from the Center Pompidou of Paris travel to their temporary home in Amsterdam. Including crucial works such as Mit dem schwarzen Bogen (1912), Im Grau (1919), Auf Weiss II (1923), Auf Spitzen (1928) and Entassement réglé (1938). 
There are also four Dutch Kandinskys to admire. These not abstract, but figurative, almost impressionistic paintings, ideally illustrate the artist’s early years. Made in 1904 when he stayed in the Netherlands for a month with artist Gabriele Münter, his then partner. 
One of the absolute highlights of the exhibition is the large Salon (1922), originally created by Kandinsky and his Bauhaus students. The first version was lost during the bombings during the war. Under the watchful eye of Nina Kandinsky, students created a second edition for the opening of the Center Pompidou in 1977.

Kandinsky, H’ART Museum, Amstel 51