Set Design in Three Acts

Baron van Slingelandt’s model theatre

Nearly three centuries ago, this miniature stage was used in living rooms to demonstrate how theatre worked. The sets were the work of the set painters of Amsterdam’s city theatre at the time, of which nothing survives today due to a devastating fire. The chamber theatre has eight 18th-century and six 19th-century romantic backdrops.

Landscape as a stage

This small-scale version of a theatre, complete with sliding wing sets, inspired artists Arne Hendriks and Josef Zappe to create a replica. They explore the functionality of this miniature stage and link this to contemporary reality. Just as people pull the strings of stage sets, they do the same when shaping our natural environment. Arne Hendriks will regularly work in the exhibition room and enjoys engaging in conversation with visitors.*

*See the calendar at allardpierson.nl/en for times and dates, including upcoming workshops.