Ten thousandth visitor Basquiat exhibition

By noon, the time had come. At that moment, Mr Rob Boddeke and Ms Georgine Voogt from Heemstede bought tickets for the Basquiat exhibition at the Heerlen museum. This made them the ten thousandth visitor. Mr and Mrs received flowers and congratulations from director Kor Bonnema, and a prize package from exhibition partners Parkstad Limburg Theatres, VVV Zuid Limburg, municipality of Heerlen, 100% Heerlen and Heerlen Mijn Stad. The winners then left into the museum hall for a private guided tour of the exhibition. "We were incredibly surprised. The exhibition had been on our wish list for some time. What a nice coincidence that we started our day trip in Limburg in Heerlen today," said Ms Voogt.

With this milestone, visitor numbers for the exhibition are well on track, says Kor Bonnema, general director SCHUNCK: "Every week, many visitors find their way to the exhibition in the SCHUNCK Glaspaleise. Ten thousand so far. There is also an extensive public programme with lectures, Neighbourhood Battles [edit: hip-hop competitions in community centres], films, workshops, school tours, performances, Basquiat Cafés, a final exam exhibition and more [edit: see basquiat.schunck.nl/events]. These activities also attract a lot of interest. In this way, we also inspire people who might not initially be museum visitors with the story of Basquiat and his New York scene. The overall reach of the Basquiat project is thus unprecedented."

Basquiat - the artist and his New York scene

Through over 300 artworks, the exhibition tells the story of the genesis of a young, unknown Basquiat into a world-renowned artist in the vibrant New York art scene of the early 1980s. The presentation includes the exhibition Basquiat Before Basquiat: East 12th Street 1979-1980, curated by the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver.

Basquiat - the artist and his New York scene
SCHUNCK Glaspaleis
2 February to 2 June 2019
The exhibition is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed on Mondays