Openingstoespraak tentoonstelling 'Ongekende schoonheid. Ikonen uit Macedonie' .
Samen met de Macedonische minister van Cultuur opende Staatssecretaris Zijlstra de tentoonstelling 'Ongekende schoonheid. Ikonen uit Macedonie' in Museum Catharijneconvent in Utrecht. Een unieke expositie met o.a. 50 ikonen die tot de top van de Byzantijnse cultuur behoren.
• Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honour for me to be asked to speak here today in these magnificent surroundings, to such an illustrious gathering. I would like to extend a special welcome to our guests from Macedonia: Ms Elizabetha Kanceska-Milevska, the Minister of Culture in Macedonia; Mr Nikola Dimitrov, the Ambassador of Macedonia in the Netherlands, and all others here who represent the Pearl of the Balkans. I would also like to welcome the ambassadors of twelve other countries with which the Netherlands maintains friendly relations. It pleases me, as well, that the Royal Commissioner for the Province of Utrecht, Mr Roel Robbertsen, is with us here today. Finally, a special thank you is due to our hostess, Marieke van Schijndel, the Director of the Museum Catharijneconvent, and all of her employees.
• ‘Onbekend maakt onbemind’, is a well-known expression in Dutch – roughly equivalent to the English expression ‘Unknown, unloved’. In other words: people are naturally unable to appreciate things with which they are unfamiliar, things they do not know about. And most Dutch people unfortunately know little about the long, rich history of Macedonia.
• For many of my fellow countrymen it would possibly even be a great challenge, when looking at a blank map of Europe, to point out where exactly the ‘Pearl of the Balkans’ is located. I hope that Macedonians can find it in their hearts to excuse us for this failing.
• And by no means are all the Dutch people aware that Macedonia possesses impressive art treasures, including a magnificent collection of religious icons. But this ignorance of the country and its wonderful cultural heritage is about come to an end thanks to the exhibition ‘Unimagined Beauty. Icons from Macedonia.’
• This exhibition is a surprising introduction to the cultural richness of Macedonia. It enables us to learn about this country through its religious works of art, including 50 icons that rank among the top artworks of Byzantine culture. It is a unique opportunity, because this is the first time that the government of Macedonia has given permission for such a large collection to be lent out to a foreign country. And it is a great honour that the Netherlands, of all countries, has been chosen to host this wonderful premiere. To give you an idea of the immensity of the trust being placed in us: you could compare it with our country lending out the complete collection of Van Gogh’s paintings.
• Art treasures are a very effective calling card for a country. They enable you to show the world who you are and how you have been formed by your history. By exhibiting museum objects beyond your own national borders – which is called collection mobility – you launch a dialogue between countries. And this dialogue can lead to a wide range of other interesting contacts and initiatives of a cultural and an economic nature.
• In Europe, the importance of collection mobility is widely recognised. Yet lending museum objects for a temporary or long-term presentation is anything but simple, particularly when it involves loans from abroad. The fact is that the value of art objects has skyrocketed in recent decades and this has increased the associated insurance premiums enormously. Not every museum can afford these insurance premiums. In exceptional cases, the Dutch State can assume a part of the risk by giving an indemnity guarantee (indemnity means compensation for damage in this case). The fact that this exhibition was awarded this guarantee by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Ministry of Finance only underlines its unique character.
• But the government is not the only body that has worked hard to get this exhibition off the ground. The Macedonian Community in the Netherlands has also made great efforts to bring the exhibition to our country. This didn’t come about without a struggle, because this collection represents enormous financial and emotional value. I can easily imagine that the authorities in Macedonia were hesitant to allow such valuable treasures to be lent out. But it finally came to pass thanks to the determination of Dutch Macedonians. It seems as though all 14,000 of them lobbied for the exhibition. And we should feel very grateful to them.
• You can see this involvement reflected in the video presentations for the exhibition in which Macedonians talk about what the icons mean to them personally. And at certain moments, they will come to the museum during the exhibition to talk about this in the flesh.
• As a resident and former city councilman in Utrecht, I am of course very proud that this unique exhibition is being organised in my city. And I hope for everyone that ‘Unimagined Beauty’ experiences unimagined numbers of visitors for the Catharijneconvent. I live nearby, so if I see large throngs of people headed in the direction of the museum, I will know that it has come to pass!