Stedelijk receives a major donation from German collector Thomas Borgmann

Amsterdam, 29 June 2016 - The Stedelijk Museum is proud to announce that German collector Thomas Borgmann (1942) is donating a large number of works to the museum. The generous gift includes over 600 works by: Cosima von Bonin (DE, 1962), Enrico David (IT, 1966), Thomas Eggerer (DE, 1963), Cerith Wyn Evans (UK, 1958), Jack Goldstein (CA, 1945-2003), Jutta Koether (DE, 1958), Michael Krebber (DE, 1954), Lucy McKenzie (UK, 1977), Matt Mullican (US, 1951), Henrik Olesen (DK, 1967), Paulina Olowska (PL, 1976), Jorge Pardo (CU, 1963), Jeroen de Rijke/Willem de Rooij (NL, 1970-2006 and 1969), John Stezaker (UK, 1948), Wolfgang Tillmans (DE, 1968), Christopher Williams (US, 1956) and Heimo Zobernig (AT, 1958).

“The Stedelijk is honored to receive such an extensive and significant gift,” says Beatrix Ruf, director of the Stedelijk Museum. “Thomas Borgmann collected artworks of museum quality and monumental stature. I am extremely proud and grateful that the Stedelijk is able to expand its holdings with such an important contribution to the collection of the city of Amsterdam.” 

About the donation, Thomas Borgmann says, “I have closely followed the Stedelijk ever since my first visit in the 1960s; this museum felt like a natural home for these works. The Stedelijk has always impressed me with its thorough knowledge and high professional standards. The dedication and care for the collection are a wonderful combination with the dynamic and daring exhibition program. With this donation I would like to underscore my close relationship with the museum and Beatrix Ruf."

Many of the works in the donation have strong ties with the holdings of the Stedelijk Museum. The museum has been collecting work by a number of the artists for many years, and has mounted solo exhibitions of many, such as Wolfgang Tillmans, Cosima von Bonin, and Lucy McKenzie. This extraordinary donation contributes immeasurably to the museum’s representation of works by the aforementioned artists, and augments on an international scale its holdings of contemporary art.

City Alderman Kajsa Ollongren states: "This is exceptional news for the Stedelijk Museum and our city. Contemporary art lovers will soon have an extra reason to visit the Stedelijk. The City of Amsterdam is very grateful to mr. Borgmann for this wonderful gift. The donation underlines the strong position of the Stedelijk in the international art world." 

The donation includes all the various presentation forms of the exceptional work Angola to Vietnam (1989) by Christopher Williams. The Stedelijk collection is also delighted to add three works by De Rijke/De Rooij in different media, who up to now, were solely represented in the collection with film works. Another exceptional acquisition is the complete film oeuvre (16 mm films) of Canadian Jack Goldstein. Goldstein was one of the leading picture generation artists of the 70s and 80s.

The work of other artists such as Enrico David, Thomas Eggerer, Cerith Wyn Evans, Jutta Koether, Henrik Olesen, Jorge Pardo, and John Stezaker, has not previously been collected by Dutch museums. Thanks to the generous donation, these artists will now enrich the Dutch public art collection. Also entering the collection is Subject Driven by American Matt Mullican, a vast installation that offers an overview of his entire body of work, created between 1970 and 2008. It is a landmark in Mullican’s oeuvre, and includes over 180 individual works. Mullican’s work is already well represented in Dutch museum collections, which now benefit from the addition of this historic key work.

Additionally Thomas Borgmann is making a long-term loan of a group of 10 important works and major installations by Isa Genzken and Martin Kippenberger.

Exhibition November 2007

At the end of 2017, the Stedelijk Museum will stage a representative selection of works from the new donation, in conjunction with the works on loan. The presentation will occupy the entire upper floor of the historic building. The Stedelijk Museum will also publish a completely illustrated publication to mark the occasion.