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New York Times
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The Curious Animals of Amsterdam's Art Zoo
Eva Krook stood inside a canal mansion in Amsterdam last year, nervously awaiting news about a lost Tyrannosaurus rex. Krook had received a phone call from Italy informing her that there had been a mix-up with four crates in which the giant fossil replica had been packed for shipping to her new museum. The massive tail, rib cage, pelvic bone and limbs had all arrived, but when she opened up the fourth crate it was empty, save for a few scattered wood shavings. The T. rex's skull was missing. This was one of the hiccups in setting up the Art Zoo, an ambitious new museum that opened to the public in the center of Amsterdam last month. Situated in a 17th-century mansion in the city's canal district, the museum brings together natural history and contemporary taxidermy created by two Dutch artists who call themselves Darwin, Sinke & van Tongeren. Krook, the museum's director, said the T. rex wasn't her only logistical problem. She also had to figure out how to get a giant gorilla, made of 78 yards of denim, through the building's long and narrow front doors. 'This is a landmark building, so it's not like we can just break a door to fit it in,' she said. 'I joked that I felt like I was visiting the gynecologist, because we're always trying to figure out how to get the baby out — or in this case, in.' The T. rex and the denim gorilla are just two of more than 200 extraordinary objects now on show at the Art Zoo. The museum was created by Ferry van Tongeren and Jaap Sinke, a Haarlem, Netherlands-based artistic duo behind Darwin, Sinke & van Tongeren. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New Straits Times
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
Stuffed animals strike a pose in Amsterdam
AFP A FEARSOME stuffed crocodile hangs menacingly from the roof, mouth wide open, sharp teeth ready to strike: welcome to the Art Zoo, the new offbeat museum opening in Amsterdam. Aiming to elevate taxidermy to high art, Art Zoo opened recently in the heart of the Dutch capital, in a famous building from the 17th century, a period that inspired the two artists that created the show. Artist Ferry van Tongeren said: "Our work is inspired by 17th-century sculptures and painters from the Golden Age, the Dutch painters who painted animal scenes." In that period, Dutch Golden Age painters drew inspiration from brightly coloured parrots, big cats and exotic animals captured in distant colonies and brought back to Europe to great amazement. They were often painted in theatrical poses, wings spread or neck extended, which the artists tried to replicate with their stuffed displays. A stuffed swan with wings deployed in defensive posture is a nod to "The Threatened Swan" by Golden Age master Jan Asselijn, hanging in the Rijksmuseum nearby. "It's a sculpture of a skinless animal but it's still a sculpture and we create the drama, we create the story," Van Tongeren said. He has been working with colleague Jaap Sinke for more than a decade as taxidermy-artists, a world away from the advertising industry where the two men met more than 20 years ago. Sinke, 52, said he had always enjoyed the varied nature of being an artist. "You're a little bit sculptor, you're a little bit surgeon, you're a little bit hairdresser and you're a little bit painter. "I think it's nice to combine all those crafts into one." In other exhibits, majestic tigers are displayed poised to attack, while birds of prey grip long snakes in their claws. To head off criticism from animal lovers, the artists have prominently displayed a sign with their "Golden Rule". "None of the animals in our taxidermy artworks was taken from the wild or bred specifically for the Art Zoo Museum. All died of natural causes, under the care of zoos and breeders." Eva Krook, museum director, described the exhibition as an "aesthetic tribute to nature, wonder, and everything fragile and cherished". "In a city where everything is becoming bigger, more high-tech and part of a chain, this museum offers an intimate space in the city centre where the art of taxidermy is celebrated in all its beauty."
Observer
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Observer
Stuff of dreams: Amsterdam's 'Art Zoo' mixes art and taxidermy
A fearsome stuffed crocodile hangs menacingly from the roof, mouth wide open, sharp teeth ready to strike: welcome to the Art Zoo, the new offbeat museum opening in Amsterdam. Aiming to elevate taxidermy to high art, Art Zoo opens Thursday in the heart of the Dutch capital, in a famous building from the 17th century, a period that inspired the two artists that created the show. "Our work is inspired by 17th century sculptures and painters from the Golden Age, the Dutch painters who painted animal scenes," said artist Ferry van Tongeren. In that period, Dutch Golden Age painters drew inspiration from brightly coloured parrots, big cats, and exotic animals captured in distant colonies and brought back to Europe to great amazement. They were often painted in theatrical poses, wings spread or neck extended, which the artists tried to replicate with their stuffed displays. A stuffed swan with wings deployed in defensive posture is a nod to "The Threatened Swan" by Golden Age master Jan Asselijn, currently hanging in the Rijksmuseum nearby. "It's a sculpture of a skinless animal but it's still a sculpture and we create the drama, we create the story," Van Tongeren told AFP. He has been working with colleague Jaap Sinke for more than a decade as taxidermy-artists -- a world away from the advertising industry where the two men met more than 20 years ago. Sinke, 52, said he had always enjoyed the varied nature of being an artist. "You're a little bit sculptor, you're a little bit surgeon, you're a little bit hairdresser and you're a little bit painter," he said. "I think it's nice to combine all those crafts into one," added Sinke. In other exhibits, majestic tigers are displayed poised to attack, while birds of prey grip long snakes in their claws. To head off criticism from animal lovers, the artists have prominently displayed a sign with their "Golden Rule." "None of the animals in our taxidermy artworks were taken from the wild or bred specifically for the Art Zoo Museum. All died of natural causes, under the care of zoos and breeders." Eva Krook, museum director, described the exhibition as an "aesthetic tribute to nature, wonder, and everything fragile and cherished." "In a city where everything is becoming bigger, more high-tech, and part of a chain, this museum offers an intimate space in the city centre where the art of taxidermy is celebrated in all its beauty," said Krook. —AFP
The Sun
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Stuff of dreams: Amsterdam's ‘Art Zoo' mixes art and taxidermy
AMSTERDAM: A fearsome stuffed crocodile hangs menacingly from the roof, mouth wide open, sharp teeth ready to strike: welcome to the Art Zoo, the new offbeat museum opening in Amsterdam. Aiming to elevate taxidermy to high art, Art Zoo opens Thursday in the heart of the Dutch capital, in a famous building from the 17th century, a period that inspired the two artists that created the show. 'Our work is inspired by 17th century sculptures and painters from the Golden Age, the Dutch painters who painted animal scenes,' said artist Ferry van Tongeren. In that period, Dutch Golden Age painters drew inspiration from brightly coloured parrots, big cats, and exotic animals captured in distant colonies and brought back to Europe to great amazement. They were often painted in theatrical poses, wings spread or neck extended, which the artists tried to replicate with their stuffed displays. A stuffed swan with wings deployed in defensive posture is a nod to 'The Threatened Swan' by Golden Age master Jan Asselijn, currently hanging in the Rijksmuseum nearby. 'It's a sculpture of a skinless animal but it's still a sculpture and we create the drama, we create the story,' Van Tongeren told AFP. He has been working with colleague Jaap Sinke for more than a decade as taxidermy-artists -- a world away from the advertising industry where the two men met more than 20 years ago. Sinke, 52, said he had always enjoyed the varied nature of being an artist. 'You're a little bit sculptor, you're a little bit surgeon, you're a little bit hairdresser and you're a little bit painter,' he said. 'I think it's nice to combine all those crafts into one,' added Sinke. In other exhibits, majestic tigers are displayed poised to attack, while birds of prey grip long snakes in their claws. To head off criticism from animal lovers, the artists have prominently displayed a sign with their 'Golden Rule.' 'None of the animals in our taxidermy artworks were taken from the wild or bred specifically for the Art Zoo Museum. All died of natural causes, under the care of zoos and breeders.' Eva Krook, museum director, described the exhibition as an 'aesthetic tribute to nature, wonder, and everything fragile and cherished.' 'In a city where everything is becoming bigger, more high-tech, and part of a chain, this museum offers an intimate space in the city centre where the art of taxidermy is celebrated in all its beauty,' said Krook.
