Heineken and the arts
Part of the Heineken Gallery.
Located on a bustling street close to
Amsterdam's city centre, the Heineken
Gallery simply cannot be overlooked by
passers-by. It forms part of the brewery
building and was set up years ago by fitting
show windows in a blank wall 30 metres
long. You cannot go inside the gallery as it
consists solely of these display windows
which are made available to exhibiting
artists free of charge for a period of about
five weeks.
Diverse works of art, including paintings
and photographs, are on display - usually
works by professional artists, though
sometimes a group exhibition is held of the
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work of hobby painters and talented
amateurs. As the number of artists
interested in displaying their work far
exceeds the space available, a selection
has to be made. To guarantee as unbiased
a choice of exhibits as possible, Heineken
leaves the decision to an Amsterdam
artist. Most of the works shown are by
Dutch artists, though works from other
countries are also welcomed.
Obviously, in the more than a century of
its existence, the Heineken Group has
itself acquired many 'objets d'art'. Not
only paintings, bronze busts, Dutch tiles
and old watches, but also an extensive
modern art collection in the offices at the
Zoeterwoude brewery. This collection
was started in 1975 when the brewery was
opened. Many well-wishers inquired what
sort of gift they could present to the
management to celebrate that occasion.
The reply was: works of art.
Fortunately, a Foundation called 'Art and
Enterprise' exists in Holland whose object
is to bridge the worlds of industry and art.
Heineken was able to use this Foundation
as an intermediary in recommending the
most suitable choice to those who wished
to present a work of art to the
management to mark Zoeterwoude's