Opening MiArt
Speech for the Minister of Economic Affairs, Maria van der Hoeven, on opening MiArt, Milan, 29 March 2007
Ladies and gentlemen,
Artists and art lovers,
A famous Dutch painter once wrote, “It is no good knowing just one thing. You’ll soon have nothing to talk about. It is important not to rest until you also know the opposite”.
This quote comes from a letter from Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo. I thought it was an apt introductory sentence for a Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs opening an art fair in Italy. After all, that is not the most obvious combination. Although I recently visited the European Fine Art Fair in Maastricht in my capacity as Minister. That is in a sense MiArt's counterpart, focusing not so much on modern art as on the old masters.
And now I am here in Milan. And with Vincent's words to support me, I’d like to tell you what I am doing here. I have two very good reasons. The first is purely pragmatic, the second more to do with my work. But I should like to continue in Italian. After all, the art world is international. If you cannot understand me, you can collect an English version of my speech on your way out.
The Netherlands and art; in Italian
My first reason for being here is very simple. I was invited by your Mayor, Letizia Moratti. Many thanks for that. We have known each other from the time that we were both Ministers of Education and regularly sat at the same negotiating table in Brussels.
We discovered that we shared the same interest in art and culture, and the same social commitment. As a politician, your job is to help others, whether they are teachers, students, entrepreneurs or artists.
So our ties are personal, and added to them are the ties between our two countries. Italy and the Netherlands have been partners in the European Union for the past fifty years. And our economic ties are very close. Dutch exports to Italy total 16 billion euros a year, Italian exports to the Netherlands 6.5 billion euros. And just as importantly, we share a love of culture – of architecture, design and painting. The Caravaggio-Rembrandt exhibition, for example, was on show in both Italy and the Netherlands.
And so it gives me great satisfaction to open this edition of MiArt. Especially since the Netherlands occupies such a prominent position here. And rightly so. Because the arts flourish in the Dutch climate, and have done so since the 17th century, the age of Rembrandt and Vermeer. The Archipelago Olanda provides visitors with an excellent overview of modern art in the Netherlands, with artists like Charlotte Dumas, Maurice Scheltens and Job Koelewijn, to name but a few.
The applied arts are also flourishing in the Netherlands. Amsterdam is developing into a centre for web design and the games industry. And Rotterdam is truly an architectonic laboratory. The architect Rem Koolhaas is world famous. And Dutch industrial designers have also built up an excellent reputation.
Importance of art; in Italian
And that brings me to the other reason why I am here. That has to do with the importance of art to society. Art enriches our lives, figuratively but also quite literally. Because you can earn money with art. You can sell it, export it or trade in it. Directly or in a derivative form. The Italian eye for beauty and design, for example, is an important export product – whether you are talking about art works, cars, fashion or kitchen equipment.
But for me – as Minister of Economic Affairs – the most important thing about art is its innovative quality. Art is an expression of creativity. And art stimulates creativity.
Artists flourish in an environment that is open and tolerant. That kind of environment also attracts other creative people – commercial artists, TV producers, publishers, designers, graphic artists, web designers and so on. 230,000 people are currently working in the Dutch creative sector. And the sector is growing faster than any other. That is another reason to nurture creativity and creative people. They are essential to a country’s economic growth.
Dutch art policy; in Italian
The Netherlands is a democratic country. And it is practical. That is reflected in our art. The 17th century Dutch masters didn't paint noblemen, but ordinary people. That is also reflected in our cultural policies, which focus on developing talent from all sections of the population, and teaching everyone to appreciate art.
We have been reasonably successful. The Netherlands has more than a thousand museums – more per square kilometre than any other country. And we have more than six hundred private galleries. Some of the leading ones are here at MiArt.
But what Dutch culture could use is a bit of Italian passion. This month, for example, a senator chained himself to the gates of the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence to protest against the loan of a Da Vinci painting to Japan. He thought that the masterpiece – the Annunciation – was too vulnerable to undertake the journey.
That shows us what art can mean to a country – as a unifier and a manifestation of its identity. Such commitment to art is something we in the Netherlands should envy.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I should like to conclude in English. Sobriety and passion. Pragmatism and sophistication. The Netherlands and Milan. A golden combination, I would say. I have just had lunch with representatives of the Dutch companies located here, and they would certainly agree with me. ABNAmro, Heineken, Philips, KLM, and Akzo Nobel – they are all here in the Milan region. With success, and to everyone’s satisfaction. I believe that our artists will be as successful here as our business people.
Thank you.