In 2012, Turkey and the Netherlands will celebrate the 400th anniversary of diplomatic trade relations between the two countries. Schiedam occupies an exceptional position in these celebrations due to the fact that the first Dutch ambassador to Turkey, Cornelis Haga, originated from Schiedam. Moreover, Schiedam has the largest Turkish community in the Netherlands. Schiedam will celebrate a theme year with an ongoing manifestation under the title of Verborgen Schatten (Hidden Treasures). In the framework of the festivities and at the invitation of the Bauer Documentation Foundation, the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam will organize the exhibition entitled Marius Bauer in Turkey in the Grote of Sint Janskerk (Great or Saint John church). Bauer made several journeys through Turkey and was a great admirer of Turkish culture. The exhibition will open on 16 March – the date on which Cornelis Haga set out for Turkey – and will end on 6 July 2012. On that date 400 years ago diplomatic relations between Turkey and the Netherlands were officially ratified. On 6 July 2012, a book launch of the first biography of Cornelis Haga will be held in the Grote of Sint Janskerk. The presentation is an initiative of the Schiedam Municipal Archives. Cornelis Haga was buried in the Grote of Sint Janskerk in Schiedam. Corresponding to the start of the exhibition on 16 March, the Grote of Sint Janskerk will open its doors to the general public. Until 1 October, the church can be visited daily, with the exception of Mondays, from 10.00 to 17.00.

Marius Bauer in Turkey

With drawings, etchings, watercolours, oil paintings and letters, the Marius Bauer in Turkey exhibition takes the visitor on Bauer’s travels through Turkey. Bauer arrived for the first time in Istanbul by boat in 1888. He disembarked and was immediately captivated by the life, the culture and the industriousness that he encountered there. Narrow streets, markets, bazaars and intimate sightlines, full of people engaged in everyday activities: playing music, trading wares, or on their way to or from the mosque. Occasionally he can catch a glimpse of the Sultan and his retinue. It can be concluded, from the letters that Bauer wrote in Turkey to family and friends, that he undertook long walks every day with his sketchbook under his arm. This resulted in a large number of sketches and drawings that formed the starting point of a great quantity of work when he returned to the Netherlands.

A stroll through Istanbul

The exhibition is laid out in accordance with the travels and walks that Bauer undertook in Turkey, especially in Istanbul. Visitors can discover what Bauer saw, via the themes of Harbour Views, Cityscapes, Street Life, Bazaars and Markets, Music and Dance, Mosques, Evening Atmosphere, The Sultan and his Retinue, Figures, and A Thousand and One Nights. Each of these themes contains works realized with different techniques and materials, produced on various dates. The exhibition expresses Bauer’s fascination with life in Turkey at the turn of the 20th century, which he attempted to capture in an occasionally almost romanticized and fairytale manner.

Preview of 2012

From 16 September 2012 to 20 January 2013, the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam will present the exhibitions entitled Istanbul NU (Istanbul NOW), and from 16 September to 11 November 2012 De Kunst van het Geven (The Art of Giving). Istanbul NU is a major exhibition displaying works by present-day Turkish artists living in the Netherlands and/or Turkey. De Kunst van het Geven is a project by Lotte van Laatum and Agnita van ‘t Klooster. This programme is a renewed ratification of the diplomatic relations between Turkey and the Netherlands, in which the giving of gifts is the focus of attention. On the basis of the gifts exchanged in 1612 and the reciprocal cultural influence in the past 400 years, designer Lotte van Laatum has made new gifts that can again be presented to Turkey.

Exhibition Marius Bauer in Turkey

De Grote- of St.-Janskerk

Lange Kerkstaat 37

3111 NN Schiedam

www.sintjanskerkschiedam.nl

Opening hours of the Grote- of St.-Janskerk

Tuesday to Saturday, from 10.00 – 17.00.

Admission free.