Look! Amersfoort!

An artistic city walk

Take an artistic city walk in the museum past iconic spots in Amersfoort: such as the often-depicted Lange Jan, also known as the Lieve Vrouwe Toren, the picturesque Koppelpoort, the industrial buildings along the Eem and the romantic depictions of the Leusderkwartier.

It is a versatile mix of realistic cityscapes, such as those by Mathias Withoos and Caspar van Wittel, and romantic impressions of Amersfoort by painters such as Hendrik Jan Wolter. In the most recent works from our museum collection, you see how artists approach the city with a contemporary eye — from the ominous Koppelpoort by Mattijn Franssen to the fresh perspective on the Havik by Juane Xue.

Amersfoort now

The exhibition goes beyond being merely a look back at the city.

Various neighbourhood residents give their own view of the city, and a group of children from the museum's Children's Panel stepped into the role of exhibition maker. They selected a small part of the exhibition — around twenty paintings and objects — that tell stories about their city. Stories they themselves find important and beautiful to share.

The project began with a walk through the old city centre: What caught their attention? Which places drew their interest? This was followed by a creative brainstorm in which they came up with two themes they wanted to show alongside the cityscapes of Amersfoort: Decoration and Entertainment.

In the museum depot they went in search of artworks and objects that bring these themes to life, and they also wrote the room texts themselves.

Ten-year-old Mirthe, for example, chose the painting Koppelpoort seen from the Eem side, but also a large sledge: "This sledge was made by boys who needed to be re-educated. They had done something that was not bad enough to go to prison."

Graffiti collective 13Hoog takes inspiration from the centuries-old cityscape by Mathias Withoos and translates it into a modern masterpiece. In the poetry project developed specially for this exhibition, Amersfoort poets add an extra dimension: with their poems, inspired by artworks from the collection, they capture their emotions about the city.

& the neighbourhood

Finally, you dive into the neighbourhoods with Amateurkunst033. For the project Buurt in Beeld, draughtsman Lex van Elten went out into the Kruiskamp Koppel neighbourhood. There he met residents with diverse backgrounds.

He also gave drawing workshops there, in which residents made drawings of their house, street or favourite spot in the neighbourhood. A number of these drawings he incorporated into a compilation drawing of his own.

Writing and photography: in the Soesterkwartier, residents took up these activities for the project Wij(k) Verhalen. Under the guidance of writer Raymond Vis, they put their memories and experiences into words. Another group went out into the neighbourhood to find fitting images. The whole gives a unique insight into the lives of the neighbourhood's residents.

The drawings, images and stories of these neighbourhood residents are ultimately included in our exhibition.

Fun for all ages

Look! Amersfoort! is fun for all ages. Specially for families, children and everyone who loves creativity, there is plenty to experience: play a treasure hunt and discover how the residents of Amersfoort lived through the centuries, share memories and tips with each other and other visitors on a large map in Depot Junior, or make your own little cityscape!

Who knows, your contribution might soon be hanging in our museum!

Look! Amersfoort! brings past and present, art and society, and people together. Be surprised by familiar and unfamiliar images and stories of the city.

Author: Davi Bos