Collection

Berlage Exhibition

  • Date 1985-1986
  • Address Damrak, 243 – 1012 ZJ Amsterdam

Organised on the initiative of Stichting Wonen and under the patronage of Gérard Mortier, director of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, the exhibition takes place in the highly symbolic setting of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, a building designed by Berlage and a major landmark in the history of modern architecture. The exhibition design, conceived in 1985 by Vandenhove and his team, makes the most of the vast space of the Great Hall by first occupying the side areas with ‘portico-style’ partitions approximately 3 metres high, painted alternately in black and white. This approach, characterised by modesty and discretion, underpins a desire to dramatise the exhibition’s centrepiece: the Royal Salon pavilion. Set back towards the rear of the nave to open up perspectives, the red-painted pavilion rises high and serves as a scenographic focal point at the centre of the space. It houses a 1:1-scale reconstruction of the Royal Salon at the Théâtre de la Monnaie, as well as reproductions of works by Daniel Buren and Giulio Paolini. In addition to the Royal Salon, the exhibition presents 25 projects, including numerous residential buildings (Schoffeniels, Dufays, Schoonbroodt…), the University Hospital (CHU) and the Hors Château project, which is well known for its media impact. An exhibition catalogue brings together texts by several renowned critics, such as Geert Bekaert and François Chaslin. The exhibition dedicated to Charles Vandenhove’s work within the walls of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange marks a turning point in the Liège-based architect’s career. Whilst this was not his first retrospective exhibition – one might recall the one first held in Paris at the Institut Français d’Architecture in 1985 – this event shone a spotlight on the architect’s work and explains, albeit partially, the rapid success the Liège-born architect would enjoy in the Netherlands.

  • Description of the collection

    Correspondence, plans of the stage design and the Berlage Exchange, photographs.
  • Volumetry 1 document folder
  • Bibliography

    BEKAERT, Geert, VERSCHAFFEL, Bart, Charles Vandenhove Art & architecture, Tournai, La Renaissance du livre, 1998.
  • AUTHOR AND DATE OF THE ENTRY Sébastien Charlier, 2023