There are no attendants, and a museum card is not required. Yet every day in the UMCG more than ten thousand visitors wade through a sea of paintings and sculptures. Kunstspot got an exclusive tour from Anna Kramer, head of art affairs at the UMCG.
The art collection of the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) starts right in front of the main entrance. A bicycle several metres tall adorns the pond; the work of art was specially made for the new hospital building in 1997. The tour continues through the hospital corridors, where a little girl is running her fingers over a bronze female figure. “Look mummy, what beautiful legs,” she exclaims. Kramer looks on and gives a nod: “Nice, right?”
WHY DOES A HOSPITAL HAVE ART?
“Art offers both solace and distraction. Not only for patients, but also for family and friends who have to wait here. I sometimes see people in dressing gowns walking here with an IV pole looking at the works. Besides, all the corridors here are very similar. The works then become a landmark.”
WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU DO AS HEAD OF ART AFFAIRS AT THE UMCG?
“Together with my colleague, I manage and maintain the UMCG's art collection and ensure that the art is properly displayed. Every working day is very different. First I look at the applications of artists who would like to show their work here. Ten thousand visitors a day come here; a number that is greater than at any other museum. That's the advantage of a hospital.”
HOW DID YOU END UP IN THIS POSITION?
“Originally, I worked on an engineering degree. Because I was always interested in art, I later took evening courses at Minerva. As part of the art committee, I was then involved in the new construction at the UMCG. In those days, there was still the 1% rule, which meant that at least 1% of the net building sum had to be spent on art. As a result, the collection expanded enormously, and once the new building was completed, there was a collection that was left over to be managed. I was allowed to do that.”
ONE OF YOUR JOBS IS TO CREATE EXHIBITS. HOW ARE THEY CREATED?
“We work together with the Groninger Museum and the Drents Museum, among others. We also find it important to work with young artists, because the hospital is, after all, also a training institute. For example, we have traditionally done many projects with Minerva Art Academy, such as Kunst in de Lift (Art in the Lift). There is now a work of art in every lift.”
DOES THE COLLECTION TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT THERE ARE MANY SICK PEOPLE HERE?
“No. There is no difference in art for sick or healthy people. But what I do take into account is that the UMCG is a public building. All kinds of people come here, from children to adults and with all different beliefs. So we don't hang works that could be hurtful or shocking.”
MANY PEOPLE ARE POSITIVE, BUT DO YOU ALSO SOMETIMES GET NEGATIVE REACTIONS TO THE COLLECTION?
“We have a sculpture by Armando, Liegende Gestalt, which we received a lot of reactions to. People said, “Do I have to look at a charred corpse all day? That's what it looked like. Armando is an artist who likes to show the beauty of suffering. Now the sculpture has been given a different location, so that people don't have to look at it all day from their offices. We do, of course, want the art to be appreciated.”
DOES ANYTHING EVER GO WRONG WITH THE ARTWORK HERE?
“In this hospital there are often renovations. After moving house, we don't always know where the art has gone and then we have to go searching for it. Occasionally we have a missing art campaign. The person who finds the missing work then gets a voucher for a free croquette.”