When I Was You - over schoonheid, ontmoeting en troost

The Chabot Museum holds an extensive collection of paintings and sculptures by the Rotterdam artist Henk Chabot (1894–1949). Characteristic of Chabot’s work is a humanistic view of mankind, a valuable aspect that the museum also recognizes in many artworks from the contemporary art collection of psychotherapists Annelies and Bob van Eerd. From their collection, an exhibition has been curated featuring contemporary Dutch art in which human existence and attention to one’s fellow human being take center stage.

A Mirror Palace of Identities

Recently, collector Bob van Eerd interviewed the Flemish psychiatrist and author Dirk de Wachter. For him too, art is essential: “From the moment we became aware of our mortality, we began to depict it, to tell stories, to dance and make music in order to give it a place, to carry it somehow, and to find connection within it.” To De Wachter, the human being is a “mirror palace of identities”, and only an open attitude of “not-knowing” can lead to genuine connection. The same can be said of visual art: it often cannot be captured by a single interpretation or a single emotion.

Art as Beauty and Solace

Being moved by art, by the fascination and emotions it evokes, is something Annelies and Bob experience as an inspiring dimension of life. They wish to give this experience ample space, both for themselves and to share it with others. They also find resonance in the question posed by Wim Kayzer in his television series Of Beauty and Consolation (2000): “What makes life worth living?” Writers, scientists, philosophers, biologists, and artists in that series viewed art, music, and nature as answers to that question, revealing deeply personal stories about the essence of life.

A Plea for Dialogue and Encounter

In Elly Strik’s work When I Was You, two figures ‘meet’ in a garden-like setting. Within the exhibition, we interpret this title freely as a reflection of the possible dynamic between the artworks and the visitor. When I Was You can be understood in various ways: as a mirror palace in itself, but above all it stands as a heartfelt plea for many inspiring encounters.

Artists featured in the exhibition:

Marjolijn van den Assem, Gijs Assmann, Hannah van Bart, Sjoerd Buisman, Henk Chabot, Piet Hein Eek, Guido Geelen, Nour-Eddine Jarram, Shivangi Kalra, Hans Klein Hofmeijer, Jenetta de Konink, Maartje Korstanje, Arno Kramer, Katinka Lampe, Lotte van Lieshout, Marc Mulders, Arnulf Rainer, Tamar Rozenblat, Ingrid Simons, Eva Spierenburg, Julius Stibbe, Elly Strik, Aline Thomassen, Henk Visch, Reinoud van Vught, Marenne Welten, Ossip Zadkine, Robert Zandvliet, Ronald Zuurmond.