Painter Martin Monnickendam (1874-1943) observed the audience at the theatre
A ticket from 1894, Victorian costumes, and a miniature of the Stadsschouwburg: the Allard Pierson’s theatre collection celebrates one hundred years. The museum is kicking off this anniversary with an exhibition of theatre painter Martin Monnickendam, who immortalised the audiences of the 20th century on canvas. Who were the spectators in a time when the stage was not yet publicly funded?
A young woman peers through binoculars, another leans over the balustrade, while yet another looks forward expectantly. It almost seems as though these women have been painted through a keyhole, yet they’re seated in a box, a small, private balcony, gazing towards the stage, likely at the Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam, around a century ago.
This 1922 painting by Martin Monnickendam (1874-1943) is among the dozens of works on display at the launch of the Allard Pierson theatre collection’s centenary celebrations. The collection comprises props, costumes, and other theatre curiosities, such as a lion suit once worn by Freek de Jonge (see inset). This new exhibition specifically spotlights Monnickendam’s work, which a century ago captured theatre audiences on canvas. The exhibition opens on 15 November.
Curator Hans van Keulen created the exhibition alongside theatre scholar Rob van der Zalm. Van Keulen explains: “The exhibition Publiek in beeld door Martin Monnickendam takes us back in time. Audience and theatre are inextricably linked. But little is known about what that looked like a hundred years ago. There were few photographs, let alone of the audiences themselves. Monnickendam’s work gives us an idea.”
The exhibition Publiek in beeld door Martin Monnickendam is part of the celebration of Allard Pierson’s theatre collection’s centenary. But the collection hasn’t always belonged to the Allard Pierson. It originated with the Het Tooneelmuseum Association, established by the Nederlandsch Toneelverbond in 1925. The association aimed to create a museum dedicated to the theatre world in Amsterdam. This museum opened its doors on Herengracht 168 in 1960. Over time, institutes like the Puppet Museum, the Mime Centre, the International Theatre Institute, the Netherlands Institute for Dance, and Sound and Image contributed their collections.
Over the years, the museum changed names, ultimately becoming the Theatre Institute Netherlands. Van Keulen was the museum’s long-time head. The theatre collection nearly faced budget cuts. “The first Rutte cabinet, with Halbe Zijlstra as State Secretary of Education, Culture and Science planned to cut €200 million, mainly from supportive institutions like the Theatre Institute,”says Van Keulen. The Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science was quite resolute, going so far as to have trucks ready to move the collection to a large depot in Rijswijk, where other government collections are stored. “I lost sleep over that,” he recalls.
The University of Amsterdam ultimately ensured the theatre collection remained in Amsterdam. The majority is now stored in the IWO depot. The collection has grown to over half a million items, from posters, scale models, and costumes to archives, props, and video recordings. Additionally, the international circus collection, with costumes and theatre props such as cue cards from Toon Hermans and a lion suit from Freek de Jonge, is also included in the collection.
Martin Monnickendam
Monnickendam’s work is unique because he is the only painter in the Netherlands to have portrayed theatre audiences. Known as the ‘theatre painter,’ he was highly regarded. “To this day, there’s debate over how influential the audience is on a performance’s success,” says Van Keulen. “There are countless paintings of performances themselves, as well as programmes and posters, but they never capture the same atmosphere. Monnickendam’s work gives us a better idea of what that ambience was like a hundred years ago.”
In addition to Monnickendam’s paintings and sketches, the exhibition includes colourful programmes, tickets, seating plans, and postcards from theatres like the Paleis voor Volksvlijt, the Frascati Theatre, the Amphitheater in Flora, and the Stadsschouwburg. In this way, the curators aim to give modern visitors a taste of the early 20th-century theatre atmosphere. They’ve arranged the exhibition in an intimate setting; the gallery space is the size of a classroom.
Research
Alongside the exhibition, research was conducted into the audiences depicted in Monnickendam’s work. “There was a difference between the audience at the Concertgebouw and that at ‘Bij Prot’, the popular nickname for Gustave Prot & Zn’s Frascati Theatre,” says Van Keulen. “One attracted a more elite crowd, while the other drew audiences from the working classes. According to records, the middle class primarily attended the 25 theatres in Amsterdam at the time. But is that really true?”
To find out, fashion expert Els Baan studied the clothing of the audience members in Monnickendam’s paintings in relation to early 20th-century fashion trends. Theatre scholar Van der Zalm examined the details, comparing them to floor plans and photographic materials from the theatres to link the audience to the venue.
“It turns out that the middle-class portrayal was accurate,” continues Van Keulen. “At that time, there was also the ‘schellinkje’—the cheapest theatre seat, which cost as much as a schilling. A ticket could be bought for the equivalent of five cents, making it highly affordable. It was also a very social event.” Several small paintings show people drinking coffee, chatting, or laughing together. Hats are also visible, although these weren’t allowed at the time, according to a theatre regulation displayed at the Allard Pierson. “We don’t know for certain whether this liveliness and mischief was real or an artistic interpretation.”
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According to research, the demographics of theatre audiences have shifted, says Van Keulen. “Nowadays, theatres primarily attract women over fifty with academic backgrounds. A hundred years ago, the audience seemed more diverse. But we can’t say for sure. Research is still in its infancy. The question ‘who was the audience back then?’ is the core question we hope to intrigue the public and researchers with.”
Van Keulen hopes the theatre collection will receive a more permanent space at the Allard Pierson. “The theatre collection has absolutely nothing to do with archaeology, the field with which the Allard Pierson originally began. But today, the museum’s collections are so diverse that it would be wonderful to see them regularly displayed, with a semi-permanent place for the theatre collection,” he says with a smile.
Centenary Celebrations
The theatre exhibition is just one of the ways the Allard Pierson is celebrating the theatre collection’s centenary. In late February, a symposium titled ‘Het archief’ specualtief will discuss the pros and cons of theatre collecting, where the book ‘Theater verzamelen’ will also be presented. Later in 2025, a small exhibition will feature Van Keulen’s favourite collection piece: the Slingeland Theatre from 1780, a kind of replica of the Stadsschouwburg, both in appearance and technique.
The opening exhibition Publiek in beeld door Martin Monnickendam runs from 15 November to 2 March at the Allard Pierson.
