Kunstmuseum The Hague

This was our second visit to the wonderful Kunstmuseum in The Hague and even entering the venue is like stepping into a beautiful art installation with its distinctive Art Deco style designed by H. P. Berlage. The late museum director Van Gelder along with Berlage thought that ‘art could elevate the people’ and that the museum should not be elitist, rather it should be a ‘cultural temple for the common man’. The architect's vision ensured that the museum was accessible for people at that time. Today, it is nearly completely wheelchair accessible with lifts, ramps, stairlifts etc and just a couple of small areas where things need to be improved but the museum welcomes contributions and thoughts about how they do this. I found that I was able to access all I wanted to see with my powerchair and I visited all floors so it’s well worth coming to and the staff were always on hand to open heavier doors etc. I feel that the museum has given embedded access a lot of thought, you can see this in the way that they have made this venue accessible while ensuring that access is part of the aesthetics rather than an afterthought, especially at the entrance where the outside ramp leads to a glass corridor taking you into the museum reception area via a hidden stairlift; there are also beautiful ponds on either side of the corridor. The reception hall is magnificent, full of light space and gorgeous coloured Art Deco tiles; it’s an immersive experience in itself! You can see everything here from Toorop’s work to traditional Russian ceramics to Mondrian and lots more. When we visited, we were blown away by the Grand Dessert Exhibition which invites us to examine puddings from a unique perspective seeing them as works of art (there was even the opportunity to inhale the scents of various desserts making it a multi-sensory experience ). I also loved seeing the original Pavlova's dress from Swan Lake! It was also brilliant to see the works of Mondrian featuring his lesser known, more traditional landscapes and seeing how this developed into his more famous works; his largest collection is here. I really liked learning about his involvement in the Bauhaus Movement and how we were able to smell how his various studios smelled at different times in different cities across the world! I loved how the disabled access is part of the overall experience and that it also supports the architect's vision that visitors can gradually enjoy the journey through the museum allowing the experience to unfold.