Cool Kroller Muller

Haarlem for a few days, visiting my daughter and family. Halfway through stay made a trip to the Kroller Muller Museum out towards Arnhem. I had no expectations and was thrilled by the scale and scope of the museum and sculpture park. Cool 70's architecture, beautiful parkland and not screaming with punters, brilliant.

The sculpture park is big, over 160 works sited in the woodland. My first port of call was the Rietveld pavilion, sophisticated space with a good Armitage and several Hepworths, it must have been buy one get four free. There is however one Hepworth standing a little away from the pavilion that reminds you how clever she could be at articulating light across simple forms, spotless. Throughout the park works wink at you through airy glades, some stunners, the Strobos Palissade, some stonkers too. A lurking torso, produced by someone who once saw a blurry image of an Elizabeth Frink, a poor Paolozzi that shouldn't be out on it's own, needs it's hand holding.

I got excited by a stone 'mausoleum', beautifully crafted and carved. A really intriguing work by a Dutch artist unknown to me, Pjotr Muller. I thought I had made a real find but with later research I was disappointed. I thought I had found a marksman, a sniper but it was just the usual guy with a scattergun. Like you see your first Cragg and then your second and then your third and then you know it's just alphabet soup. 

​At the top of the park is a second pavilion, Aldo van Eyck, sunlit on my visit, a Greek
walkthrough suite of rooms, perfect for showing and reflecting on sculpture. Some interesting work from the moody bronze age and I met an old friend and my cockles were warmed. An early Ralph Brown, one that will speak to you of frailty, vulnerability, humanity and much more. I worked for Ralph Brown for several years and shared a space with this woman, the man who made this work would sometimes emerge and great conversations could be had. Now couple this Brown with a killer Rodin and you won't need that green cafe.

The gallery was truly surprising, you can pass by the world's second biggest holding of Van Gogh and go straight for Lipchitz, Balla, Schlemmer, Lehmbruck, Unovis, you name it, then enjoy it. Brilliant day, just get there, you get to ride a bike too.