Thirty-eight years after his death author Truman Capote (1924 – 1984) continues to fascinate. The documentary The Capote Tapes by Eb Burnough looks back on the life and work of this extraordinary American writer. His collection of short stories Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948) and his novella Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1958) attracted much attention. The […]
Art & Culture
Rob Scholte: ‘Reproduction Obliged’
The latest retrospective of Rob Scholte in the Netherlands took place in Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam: How to Star (1988). More than three decades later, De Fundatie in Zwolle presents Reproduction Obliged, a varied selection from the painted oeuvre of the ‘king of copyright’. Scholte has been preoccupied with the meaning of the […]
Karel Appel’s ‘Wall of Energy’
Ten years after WW II, Rotterdam presented itself as a reborn city. The 1955 National Energy Manifestation took place at three locations: the Ahoy hall, The Park and the newly built Energy Hall next to the Boijmans – Van Beuningen Museum. Queen Juliana opened the exhibition, which was dominated by lust for life, willpower and […]
Eurovision vibes in Southern Rotterdam
In my hometown, the Eurovision Song Contest has become an unavoidable event. Houses and squares in the centre of Rotterdam have been decorated with colourful song texts from ‘Hallelujah’ to ‘Loving You is a Losing Game’. Curious about the atmosphere in the Southern part of the city, I cycle through the newly restored Maastunnel. Charlois […]
Karel Appel was born one hundred years ago
Wherever in the world you walk into a modern art museum, standing face-to-face with a work by Karel Appel (1921- 2006) is always a moment of joy. The paintings and sculptures of the Dutch artist, born in the Amsterdam Dapperstraat one hundred years ago, are vital, explosive, colourful and they are sparkling with life. His […]
The White Tiger drilled into perpetual servitude
Balram Halwai is not a sympathetic protagonist. Yet the narrative voice of The White Tiger is so powerful that you continue to read with fascination. Aravind Adiga’s debut novel won the Man Booker Prize in 2008. Thanks to a recent film adaptation, the book is now once again in the spotlight. Author Adiga has Indian […]