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Architects: CoOB Architects: Rineke Dijkstra, Koos Breukel, Hendrik Kerstens, Mirjana Vrbaski, Amie Dicke and others., CoOB Architects (Office Jarrik Ouburg + Paulien Bremmer Architects)
- Year: 2010
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Photographs:CoOB Architects
Text description provided by the architects. The portrait pavilion in the ballroom of the ancient Duivenvoorde Castle is the centrepiece of the celebration of the museums 50th anniversary. CoOB, a collaboration between architecture firms Office Jarrik Ouburg and Paulien Bremmer Architects, designed the pavilion commissioned by office for cultural innovation Non-Fiction.
The interior of the ballroom, dating back to 1717, has a unique Louis XIV style and is attributed to court architect Daniel Marot. The rich woodwork contains life-sized portraits of the successive generations who lived at the castle. In addition the museum has a collection of 131 (family) portraits on display spread over the different halls and rooms of the castle.
Like the art collectors did in the 17th century or like the virtual space of Facebook, the entire collection of portraits is assembled into one place. All portraits are scanned, reproduced in black and white and suspended on the bright-lit walls in the pavilion, forming the basis of the exhibition. Several artists are invited to bring a personal portrait and add a contemporary layer whereby the life-sized portraits function as a historical backdrop.
The hexagonal shape of the pavilion is an extrusion of the central pattern in the existing broadloom carpet. The exterior of the pavilion is clad with acrylic sheets with a mirroring surface. Because of the mirroring, the interior of the baroque room becomes an even more excessive space whereby the pavilion, ballroom, visitor and portraits visually merge into one complex image.
