Museums Talk: From the Netherlands

For the first event of the “Museums Talk: From the Netherlands” program, on Wednesday, May 14, Istanbul Modern hosts Sjarel Ex, who served as the Director of the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam from 2004 to 2022. The conference series is organized in collaboration with the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Istanbul.

In the second event of the program, Rein Wolfs, the Director of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, will give a talk at Istanbul Modern on Tuesday, May 27.

Sjarel Ex
Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

17.30 Film screening: DEPOT – Reflecting Boijmans, 86' 
19.00 Talk: A New Typology for Museums and Storage

Venue: Istanbul Modern Auditorium

In his talk, Sjarel Ex focuses on the responsibility of museums to connect art and artists with society. In this context, he discusses how museums, which often keep the majority of their collections in storage, can find ways to make this heritage more accessible to the public. In addition, Ex emphasizes that how the urban identity of Rotterdam, with its history of a port city welcoming the influences of different cultures, is a driving force in the diversification of the content of the exhibitions and programs of cultural and artistic institutions.

Before the talk, the documentary DEPOT – Reflecting Boijmans, directed by Sonia Herman Dolz, will be screened. The film focuses on the founding story of the Depot Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (Depot), known as the world’s first publicly accessible art storage. The documentary reveals the construction process of the Depot through the narratives of Sjarel Ex together with Winy Maas, one of the founders of MVRDV, the architectural office behind the building. The film, which includes archival material of the museum building built in the 1930s, also highlights the fundamental objective behind the Depot’s establishment: to better inform the public about the preservation and restoration of art.

Founded in 1849, the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum houses an international collection of more than 150,000 classical, modern, and contemporary artworks. The museum takes its name from its two major donors, Frans Jacob Otto Boijmans and Daniël George Van Beuningen. Located in the Museumpark district, where the city's leading museums are located, the museum operates in the Van der Steur Building, inaugurated in 1935 and expanded over time with additions. The museum, which recently closed its doors temporarily due to renovations, continues to exhibit its collection at the Depot, which opened in 2021.

Sjarel Ex, who studied art history, specializes in Dutch avant-garde art, particularly the Bauhaus, and the De-Stijl movements. As an independent researcher, he has published articles internationally and, in addition to curating exhibitions, has carried out site-specific projects in public spaces in Amsterdam and Utrecht. After working at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, he served as the director of the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam. During the museum’s renovation, he played a significant role in the establishment of the Depot, an open, accessible, and transparent storage space for visitors while preserving thousands of works under one roof. Since leaving the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum in 2022, Ex continues his career as an independent curator, writer, and advisor.

The event is free of charge.

The film will be screened with Turkish and English subtitles.

The talk will be held in English. Simultaneous translation to Turkish will be provided.

Attendance is limited due to capacity.                                                                                                                                                                                         

Images:

Depot Boijmans van Beuningen, photo: Ossip van Duivenbode

Depot - Reflecting Boijmans, courtesy of Sonia Herman Dolz

Sjarel Ex, photo: Aad Hoogendoorn