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When you think of Holland, many charming pictures come to mind (wooden shoes, tulips, canals, and more ) as well as some things the tourist board would rather *not* have people focus on. For example, their recent highly-publicized immigrant problem after the murder of Theo van Gogh.
But one thing too few people focus on when they think of Holland is art. And yet throughout this small country you can find--indeed, stumble upon --some of the world's finest museums containing history's greatest paintings and statues.
Take Johannes Vermeer's "Girl With a Pearl Earring" for example. The movie (and the book) certainly helped to highlight Holland's outstanding art. But despite this publicity, while the average person on the street probably knows that the Mona Lisa is in France, most probably don't realize that the world's second most famous painted woman lived in Holland, and was painted into posterity by a Dutch artist.
Today, this painting is beautifully and accessibly displayed-almost casually-- in a lesser-known museum in the Hague. Which in itself is not as well known as Amsterdam and missed by many tourists, even though it's the home to the World Court and the Netherlands Royal Family nd is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, not just Europe.
Whoever this bejeweled little Dutch servant girl was, If you want to see this pearl of a girl, you'll find her at the Mauritshuis, which contains a jewel box collection of this and other Vermeers, along with Rembrandt, Jan Steen, Frans Hals and other noted Dutch artists.
There are also extraordinary statues throughout Holland, which is also a surprise to some. When you think of European statuary, you usually think of Michelangelo's David in Italy, the "Manneken Pis" (peeing boy) statue in Belgium, or the famous Little Mermaid in Denmark.
But you'll also find some outstanding sculptures in Holland, just 10 minutes from the center of The Hague. A most delightful trip is to take a tram to a North Sea beach resort called Scheveningen. This Atlantic-City-like shore town has a hotel which could be a sister of Palm Beach's The Breakers or Boca's famous hotel--, a 19th century chateaus called the Kurhaus. There's much worth seeing here, but especially not to be missed are the Statues by the Sea. This is an indoor and outdoor permanent interactive experience, and there are also special exhibits like their outdoor fairy-tale adventure in sculpture out on the dunes, a real crowd-pleaser.
But even among the Dutch, these exciting art treasures may not be known as well as they should. Jazz is a bigger draw to this town in the summer, plus the live musical festivals they focus on all year long.
That Holland has such fine art isn't an accident, nor did they develop it by borrowing it from neighboring countries. Laudably, they nurtured most of it themselves. During the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, when the Netherlands' colonial and trading influences were great, the country's wealth was so widespread that support of arts and artists lasted for centuries.
The output of these years has happily been preserved. Some of this you'll find in The Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk collection, Rembrandt House and the Kroller-Mulller Museum, all impressive for the breadth and quality of their art as well as the care in which the paintings are exhibited.
There are many more museums in this tiny country than those I have mentioned. For example, Anne Frank's house, the Jewish Historical Museum and the Portuguese Synagogue will leave you informed as well as emotionally drained.
Some of this art is away from the main cities, although Holland is small enough that nothing is very difficult or time-consuming to travel to. And some is right in the heart of the major cities. There, like in Amsterdam, it might be mixed with their large red light district or cafes specializing in marijuana.
But unlike the art, the tourist board doesn't highlight these as reasons they'd like you to go to this charming country.
Paulette Cooper & Paul Noble
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