It is no coincidence that Edam-Volendam was the backdrop for this project. The municipality wanted to breathe new life into the rich, artistic past of the region. Volendam in particular was once a magnet for artists from home and abroad. Around 1900, painters and Masse came to the village to capture fishing life, the traditional costumes and the special light.
Hotel Spaander, founded in 1881, played a central role in this. It offered artists shelter and a studio, and they often paid their stay with paintings. This created an impressive art collection.
Tradition breathing new life
Unfortunately, that collection was out of the picture over the years. The hotel went during the Coronaper period bankruptAnd moved the paintings to a depot. A lot of work also went back to the family. After the reopening in 2021, the walls remained virtually empty.
With the Artist in Residence-Project seems to have turned tide now. At the opening of the exhibition, the doors of Spaander are wide open again. Dozens of brand new cloths adorn the walls of the old inn.
One of those canvases is from Joost Doornik, who traveled from Groningen to Edam-Volendam especially for this project. He studied at the renowned Abk Minerva and has been active as a professional painter for years. He also teaches the Classic Academy in the High North. “If you see someone winning the Stars on the canvas program, he will probably have been in my class in my class,” he shines.
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