Peter Stuyvesant Collection
The Peter Stuyvesant Collection began in 1960 and precedes the creation of the Peter Stuyvesant Foundation, though it is better thought of as a predecessor. Its inception came after an attempt was made at the Turmac cigarette factory in Zevenaar, an eastern village in the Netherlands, to raise worker morale and increase worker productivity by hanging large scale paintings over the heads of employees, from the ceiling of the factory floor. Actually, the initiative was not taken by the company or its director, Alexander Orlow, but it was proposed by two semi-state organizations that intended to promote modern art and culture in the service of peace, the Fondation Européenne de la Culture and the Nationale Kunststichting. They commissioned thirteen painters from thirteen European countries to visualise the concept 'joie de vivre', and these were hung in the production plant in Zevenaar.[8]
When this 'experiment' proved to be a success, Orlow asked the then director of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam to act as advisor for the expansion of the collection, which led to a rapid growth.[8] These works regularly circulated between the Amsterdam headquarters and the various factories around the world, in Spain, France, Italy and Switzerland. They were also shown in museums in the Netherlands and abroad. In time, this innovation became quite beloved and, as such, was broadened from the original thirteen artworks to include many more, expanding as well to the corporate offices of Turmac in Amsterdam. The collection was named after the company’s production of Peter Stuyvesant cigarettes before its merger with liquor and cigarette company Rothmans, and then its subsequent takeover by British American Tobacco in 2000. In 2008, Rothmans decided to sell the collection.[9]
Starting in 1980, the Foundation offered the workers of the tobacco factory the opportunity to acquire original works in a limited edition of 100 copies. In 2010, the collection was dispersed via four auction installments.[10][11][12][13][14][15]
The origin of this collection and its original thirteen artworks were found to have been donated by the secretary general of the Dutch Ministry of Arts, Education and Sciences, in pursuit of cultural policies to inspire ‘cultural competence’ in the working classes. The semi-governmental approach to promoting an artistic following in less wealthy parts of Dutch society seems to have taken influence from Germany in the 1930s and has been said to influence a similar approach to corporate art collections in Canada from the 1920s onwards.[16] Additionally, high profile public artists and other popular figures were consulted for the curation of the art collection. Notably, Willem Sandberg was consulted, which led to some avant-garde artworks making their way into the collection. Because of its nature in hanging in a production factory, the requirements for acquiring works of art for the collection were fairly stringent. The curators chose to hang only two-dimensional artworks, with a prerequisite that they were colourful and could be seen easily with recognisable images on a large-scale.[16]
The collection is regarded by some to have morphed into an attempt at influencing positive corporate attention and to bolster the image of cigarette production companies. After its displays at multiple Dutch museums, the collection went on a tour to Australia, France, Belgium and Canada, where art shows were organised in tandem with other cigarette production companies similar to Turmac, who each belonged to the International Tobacco consortium. In Amsterdam, British American Tobacco opened its main offices in 1966, where part of the collection was showcased in a gallery opened alongside it. Upon its opening, press coverage was encouraged and there was an event which staged local artists and poets who performed in the name of the new gallery. After its merger with Rothmans, and then its subsequent takeover with BAT, the Stuyvesant collection was further expanded, being seen as a way to maintain public image surrounding Stuyvesant and the BAT brand.[16]
The collection changed its name in 2002 to the ‘BAT Artventure collection’, due to new Dutch laws which outlawed the use of cigarette branding in any public-facing venture which could stir up publicity or significant media attention. Though this did not stop the collection of artworks for a number of years. By the time it was decided that the collection would be auctioned, it was valued at three-times its original worth and what was spent on its acquisition. The sale of the collection exceeded expectations and was considered a massive success.[16]
The Zevenaar factory office has been granted the status of National Monument being one example of the building style "Het Nieuwe Bouwen" of the interwar period. Since 2010 it's in use as the municipality hall of Zevenaar. One of the former production halls has been granted the status of Municipal Monument. Since 2015 it's in use as the Turmac Cultureel Centrum. The remaining buildings of the factory complex were demolished. On the terrain a new neighbourhood will arise, named "BAT" after the British American Tobacco Company, the last owner of the plant.
