H’ART Museum, Amsterdam 2025
Happy Birthday Amsterdam 750
The Golden Thread
Amsterdam is celebrating its 750th birthday, and H’ART Museum is kicking off festivities with a gift to the city: the brand-new exhibition Happy Birthday Amsterdam, in which 75 artists of the past and present pay tribute to this vibrant capital. Amsterdam has been host to many artists throughout the centuries. Known as the place to be for free and creative spirits, the city was and remains a hotspot for creators from all over the world. To celebrate this, Happy Birthday Amsterdam presents a colourful and rich collection of artworks about, by and for the city.
Rather than a historical overview, the exhibition is a festive ode to Amsterdam and the creatives who lived, worked and resided there. Sometimes their whole lives, sometimes just passing through, but all of them contribute(d) to the image we have of the city today. From Karel Appel to Marina Abramović to Johan Cruijff to Barbara Broekman through the eyes of Marlene Dumas.
Barbara Broekman is fascinated by the 180 different nationalities that live in Amsterdam. She made several works inspired by textiles from the countries of origin of the residents of the capital. The Golden Thread, which consists of 550 panels - contains cut-out details of fabrics and garments from around the world. She used the Beukers collection for this.
