Many designers, decorative artists and art critics rejected the flamboyant form language of our neighbors. The 'new art', they believed, should be consistent with the national character, and the wild, swirling lines were not the best of the sober disposition of the Dutch. Strongly worded pleas, employing phrases such as the 'no-one-thing-no-need voluptuousness' of the Belgians, or the 'dress-up art' of the Germans, as the thing that the Dutch should take pains to avoid. Yet many designers and artists were not immune to international trends in design. Look closely, and you will see that those decorative swirls left their mark in the Netherlands, too, around the turn of the century, especially in The Hague. And not only in architecture, but in the decorative arts too.

No matter how fiercely decorative artists and art critics might criticize each other in a theoretical sense, in practice many tastes co-existed and elements from different movements were combined. As a result, Dutch Art Nouveau took on many forms. What all artists shared was the conviction that good design was vital for a better society:  to them, beauty was a basic necessity.

Art Nouveau in the Netherlands will focus on the period between 1884 and 1914, zooming in on developments in this country. Featuring more than 350 items, including posters and book covers by Jan Toorop, screens by Jacob van den Bosch, calendars by Anna Sipkema, delicate nature studies by Theo Nieuwenhuis, metalwork by Jan Eisenloeffel, furniture by Johan Thorn Prikker and complete interiors by Karel de Basel and HP Berlage, the exhibition will present a lavish picture of the period. The approach will be interdisciplinary, exploring the movement on the basis of general themes like 'Back to Nature' and 'Dreams of the Orient'.

Besides emphasizing the report of different art forms, the exhibition will also look at individual designers, including a number of hitherto unknown artists (some of them female).  It will also focus on specific motifs and details, on the influence of design education and the connection with The Hague, an important center of Art Nouveau in the Netherlands.

Carel Wirtz (1884-1944) by Atelier Hubert Fermin, The Hague Threefold room divider; Flower Queen, 1902, teak, embroidered silk

What tied all these artists was the conviction that good design was an important condition for a better society: beauty was a 'necessity' for them.

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