Zoeterwoude collection If the Heineken gallery in Amsterdam is a well known art centre, the Zoeterwoude Brewery, some 45 km to the south of the city, can claim to be virtually an art gal lery in its own right. When it was opened in 1975, technolo gically one of the most advanced brewery facilities in Europe, the compa ny made almost its entire wall space and parts of its grounds available to gifts from donors. These generous people were asked to make work available through the Stich ting Kunst en Bedrijf, the Dutch founda tion whose purpose may be broadly described as linking art and industry. In doing so, the foundation works to the benefit of both by ensuring publicity and a showing for contemporary artists and at the same time producing works of quality for industrial patrons. There was a stream of gifts embracing all forms of art oil paintings, water colours, modern works by the dis tinguished Dutch artist Karei Appel, lithographs, screen prints, sculptures and crafts (there was even an Alpen stock, a musical instrument not unlike that familiar to Wagnerian audiences) and a selection of children's paintings from a school in Zoeterwoude. In all, several hundreds of people and numerous companies donated work for Zoeterwoude's walls, its halls, its galleries, its grounds, many of them pooling donations to give substantial gifts. In this way the brewery acquired a modern rope tapestry representing the Ces pages présentent quel- ques unes des oeuvres en trois dimensions qui ont pu être admirées ces dernières années dans les vitrines de la galerie d'art Heineken d'Am- sterdam. Cycle of Life, by Annet Plenter-Gaaike- ma. Affinity with art The sense of affinity with art pervades the entire brewery. Here and there it achieves success with apparently un promising material, notably in a wall- mounted piece comprising sticks tied together by scout techniques a gift from the Boy Scouts of Zoeterwoude. In the bottling canteen there is an example of an unusual art form, a kinetic display which is in fact a glass block containing figures; as the viewer moves the figures appear to move too. And in the hall of the administration block there is another glass piece given by a glass factory, a huge yellow, brown and silver mural, some five metres long, inspired by the sparkling profusion and dazzling mobili ty of beer bubbles. Apart from providing a home for Dutch art treasures and for the work of so many Dutch artists in all spheres, Heineken has made its own contribution to the Zoeterwoude environment in the form of a remarkable concrete work, sym bolising growth, that stands in the town sports park. Even more significantly, perhaps, the company has given tangi ble expression to a local legend. A baby's golden cradle, so the story goes, lies buried in the meadow on which the Zoeterwoude brewery now stands. So firm is local belief in the exis tence of a fortune for anyone who unearths it, that many people are said to have paid the former farmer owner for the right to dig in the meadow on a "finders-keepers" basis. But no-one ever found the golden cradle. Today on a table in Zoeterwoude's council house there stands a work by well-known Dutch goldsmith Archibald Dunbar, a gift to the community from Heineken. It is in the form of a green stone representing the meadow. From it a golden cradle protrudes. It is fre quently regarded in silent wonder. Is it really a myth? Will it ever come to light in any other form? Or does it in some strange way exist only as a symbol of the never-ending search for artistic perfec tion, the ceaseless quest for the inspired ideal that Heineken so actively aids and fosters? étincelante et la mobilité aveuglante des bulles de bière. Non seulement Heine ken a fourni un asile aux trésors artisti- ques hollandais et aux oeuvres de tant d'artistes de tous genres, mais la société a également contribué a l'environne- ment de Zoeterwoude sous la forme d'une grande tente utilisée pour des concerts située sur la place du marché et d'une remarquable oeuvre de béton symbolisant la croissance, qui se dresse dans Ie pare des sports de la ville. Enco re plus significatif peut être, la société a donné forme a une légende locale. L'histoire veut qu'un berceau en or soit enterré dans Ie pré oü la brasserie se dresse maintenant a Zoeterwoude. On croit tellement que celui qui Ie déter- rera fera fortune que bien des gens, dit- on, ont soudoyé ancien propriétaire pour avoir Ie droit d'y effectuer des fouilles. Mais a ce jour, personne n'a encore trouvé Ie berceau d or qui lui re- viendrait ainsi de droit. Aujourd'hui, on peut voir sur une table de la mairie de Zoeterwoude une oeuvre de l'orfèvre bien connu Archibald Dun bar, don d'Heineken a la communauté. C'est une pierre verte représentant une prairie d'oü surgit un berceau d or. On Ie regarde souvent avec un émerveillement muet. Est-ce vraiment une légende? Se manifestera-t-il un jour sous un autre aspect? Ou est-il seulement l'étrange symbole de la recherche sans fin de la perfection artistique, la quête éternelle de l'idéal qu'Heineken aide et encoura ge si activement?

Jaarverslagen en Personeelsbladen Heineken

Heineken Contact | 1978 | | pagina 9