alle evenementen

Mini-colleges Kunst en Geschiedenis met Ad Geerdink

• 23 September 2026
  • 20:00
• 30 September 2026
  • 20:00
• 7 October 2026
  • 20:00
• 14 October 2026
  • 20:00

Program

The Road to Fenix | Wednesday September 23

For five years, The Road to Fenix follows the transformation of a historic harbor warehouse in Rotterdam into an art museum about migration: a place full of stories about what it means to leave, to travel, and to start over. The documentary follows the people building Fenix. Such as Wim Pijbes, who turns his ideas into reality with vision and decisiveness. Director Anne Kremers, who seeks a balance between accessibility, depth, and nuance amidst fabric, steel, and art. And Hanneke Mantel, who searches archives for photos that depict the many faces of migration. Abdelkader Benali weaves together objects, texts, and testimonies into a story about home, origin, and future.

In his introductory mini-lecture, Ad Geerdink discusses the history of the museum in the Netherlands. What were the ideals of the very first museums, and how do things stand today? Just like the visual art they display, museums, too, prove to be a reflection of the times.

Johannes Vermeer | Wednesday, September 30

In 2023, the Rijksmuseum hosted the largest Vermeer exhibition ever, featuring works from all over the world. In the evening’s documentary, they all feature: The Girl with the Pearl, The Geographer, The Milkmaid, and Vermeer’s The Little Street. The experts share the findings of new research into Vermeer’s artistic process and the motivations behind his compositions.

In his introductory mini-lecture, Ad Geerdink examines the uniqueness of Dutch painting in the seventeenth century, a period in which an estimated six to ten million paintings were produced. What explains this enormous output, the high degree of specialization among Dutch painters, and their preference for subjects that seem to be drawn directly from everyday life?

Art Theft | October 7

Who doesn’t know him, Arthur Brand, the Netherlands’ most famous art detective? He plays the lead role in the evening’s thrilling documentary, in which he does everything in his power to rescue 24 paintings stolen from the Westfries Museum in 2005 from the hands of paramilitaries in Ukraine and bring them back to Hoorn. Ad Geerdink, who was director of the Westfries Museum at the time, witnessed it all up close. In his introductory mini-lecture, he sheds light on the phenomenon of art theft. How often does it occur? What are the motives of the art criminals? How much of the stolen art is recovered, and what are the most captivating art heists of the last few decades? Arthur Brand’s name pops up in many of those cases. And that is no coincidence.

Francisco Goya | October 14

The Spanish artist Francisco Goya (1746-1828), who is the focus of the evening’s impressive documentary, was an eyewitness to the misery and horrors that accompanied the occupation of Spain by Napoleon’s troops. Moved by all the human suffering, he created a now-famous series of etchings between 1810 and 1814, The Horrors of War. An indictment of war itself. And in doing so, he was far ahead of his time.

To understand the innovative character of Francisco Goya’s work, Ad Geerdink addresses the relationship between visual art and war, which dates back thousands of years, in his introductory mini-lecture. Many famous masterpieces are reviewed, from the Bayeux Tapestry to Pablo Picasso’s Guernica. The core of his argument is that when it comes to the depiction of war, there is a time before and a time after Francisco Goya.

More information

Dates | Wednesday September 23, September 30, October 7 and October 14

Showtime | 19:30, doors open 19:00.

Four-night pass:

Regular – € 80.00

Friends & Cinevillers – € 70.00

Single tickets | €25.00 per screening, only bookable via film@drom.nl.