So what so the images below have in common? Here goes … 

a. all are taken by me

b. all are taken in Rotterdam  

c. all are taken on the same day in January

d. all express something about the way us Dutch experience space: abstract, strong horizon, verticals not the norm but the aberration. 

e. all were on show in the Kunsthal, part of the exhibition ‘Masterly!’ which in its turn is part of ‘Boijmans Next Door’, a city-wide project to keep the collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen visible during its renovation.

The combined might of Saenredam, Rembrandt, Jan Schoonhoven and Mondriaan in one room – the visual equivalent of four punches to the stomach – very intense …

The last pic is the skyline of Rotterdam reflected in the front of the new art depot of the Boijmans Museum in Rotterdam. “Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is the first art storage facility in the world that offers access to a museum’s complete collection. The Depot has a different dynamic to that of the museum: there are no exhibitions, but you can browse amongst 151,000 artworks, alone or with a guide, and get behind-the-scenes glimpses of – among other things – conservation and restoration.”