NY celebrates the 400th Anniversery of Henry Hudson's exploration of the Hudson River.
From Harlem to Brooklyn and Broadway to Amsterdam Avenue, the Dutch influence on New York City life is all around us. The Dutch and the City not only share a history; today groundbreaking Dutch designers, fashionable artists and innovative architects continue to inspire many New Yorkers. As you walk around the city, you’ll find Dutch contemporary art, architecture and design are everywhere!
Often inspired by the Dutch masters yet guided by a contemporary vision, contemporary Dutch painters and sculptors are at the forefront of the New York art scene. Marlene Dumas and Aernout Mik exhibited at MoMA and the museum is currently showing works of Dutch conceptual artists from the sixties and seventies. The Museum of the City of New York hosts the exhibition Dutch Seen, with twelve Dutch photographers (including the legendary Rineke Dijkstra) whose work captures New York City.
Fashionistas are strutting down the city streets wearing Dutch fashion designers like Viktor & Rolf, Blueblood and Gsus. Since 2007, the highly successful denim brand G-Star shows at New York Fashion Week and has become the talk of the town.
Dutch design can also be found at the Prada Flagship store, designed by architect Rem Koolhaas, and at the recently opened Droog Design Store. Moss Gallery in Soho exhibits many Dutch designers such as Marcel Wanders, Hella Jongerius, Studio Job and Claudy Jongstra. Claudy’s felt designs are also part of the Fashioning Felt exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.
Also on display at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, is Design for a Living World, featuring contemporary designs inspired by nature and considerate of its resources by Dutch designers Hella Jongerius and Christien Meindertsma, among others.
Another cool example of Dutch design in the streets of New York is the façade of the recently opened Museum of Arts and Design. It features a custom-designed glazing created by Royal Tichelaar Makkum, one of the oldest companies of the Netherlands. This mixture of past and present, of classic craftsmanship and contemporary design, exemplifies the history and the future the Dutch and New York share.
Looking ahead to the future, Dutch architect Florian Idenburg’s designs strive for a greener New York. His 'Green Roofs' project is a promising example of the integration of architecture, innovation and sustainability. The West 8 landscape architects & urban planners bring another exciting project to look forward to. They are designing a sustainable and unique park for the 21st century on Governors Island. Last but not least, is the New Amsterdam Pavilion, designed by renowned architect Ben van Berkel, as part of the NY400 celebration. The pavilion will be erected at The Battery in downtown Manhattan, as a nod to the future as well as to our shared history.
