Since 1935 · Mondrian, De Stijl, decorative arts, fashion and modernity

In the last large building in Berlage, the Kunstmuseum Den Haag brings together the largest collection of Mondrian in the world, modern art, fashion, photography, music and decorative arts.

The Kunstmuseum Den Haag opened in 1935 in a building designed by Hendrik Petrus Berlage with director Hendrik Enno van Gelder. Completed after the architect's death, the building is often considered his masterpiece. Its rooms varied dimensions, its clear circulation, its light and its colorful materials seek to avoid visitor fatigue and to make the museum welcoming for all. This architecture accompanies a deliberately plural collection: modern painting, decorative arts, ceramics from Delft and the Islamic world, fashion, photography, music and contemporary creation. The most famous heart is the collection of nearly three hundred works by Piet Mondrian, the most important in the world world. Thanks in particular to donations from Sal Slijper and Albert van den Briel, it allows you to follow the artist's entire path, from figurative landscapes to Victory Boogie Woogie. The four selected works broaden this reading of the modernity. A Pietà attributed in the commercial collection to Mondrian recalls the circulation and copying of old models. Van Gogh's self-portrait gives the face immediate tension. In the flower garden, path and vegetation become a movement of color. The three bird nests finally show how a modest still life can pay almost archaeological attention to materials. Through their diversity, these images reflect a museum that brings people together fine arts, design and material culture instead of separating them. The "Kunstmuseum Den Haag" selection notably compares Pietà de Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and Self-portrait. His reading favors composition.

In The Hague, Berlage sees the museum as a calm city: each room has its own rhythm, while Mondrian transforms rhythm into pictorial language.