Open Call Van Doesburghuis

Late in the 1920s, Theo van Doesburg was finally able to give shape to his all-embracing philosophy of life and art when he designed an architectonic wonder on a modest plot in the rural municipality of Meudon, where many writers (Céline, the Goncourt Brothers, Sartre), architects (Jean Prouvé) and artists (Rodin, Hans Arp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp) sought refuge. The studio house was completed in the late 1930s, but Theo died shortly after at the age of 47. The house, which was given the name of its creator in the 1980s, will enter history as the physical embodiment of Van Doesburg’s ideas on the synthesis of the arts. Following an extraordinary gift by Wies van Moorsel, Nelly’s niece and only heiress, ownership of the studio house passed to the Dutch State in the early 1980s. The Van Doesburghuis Foundation became responsible for managing the house, and making it available as a place for artists to live and work. In the past 40 years, some 50 artists and intermediaries have stayed at the Van Doesburghuis.

The Van Doesburghuis is a listed building, and residents are therefore asked to help preserve the studio house and to treat it with the utmost care and respect. Applicants should also be aware of the public function of the Van Doesburghuis: the house is open to the public between 14:00 and 18:00 on every first Saturday of the month, in the presence of the resident(s). Residents are also expected to be willing (in principle, following consultation with the Foundation) to receive guests outside of the standard opening hours.

• You have been working as a professional artist for at least one year and are registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce; or you have completed at least three years of a Higher Professional Education (HBO) art course and have worked as a professional artist for at least one year. Or you have worked for three years or longer as a professional artist.
• You are active in and part of the professional visual arts field in the Netherlands.
• At the time of your application, you are receiving no other financial support from the Mondriaan Fund that covers the same costs.
• It is not permitted to use the contribution to pay for a course of study. It is also not permitted to apply for the contribution while studying at an educational institution (e.g. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programmes). The same applies for postgraduate and postdoctoral programmes, such as at the Rijksakademie, BAK, De Ateliers, the Jan van Eyck Academie and EKWC.
• The applicant is expected to pay a 10% personal contribution. The Mondriaan Fund automatically takes this into account in their ultimate contribution, you do not need to do anything.

• You have been working as a professional curator or art critic in the field of visual arts or cultural heritage for at least one year, and can support this with publications, exhibitions, research and/or projects that you initiated.
• You are active in and part of the professional visual arts field in the Netherlands.
• At the time of your application, you are receiving no other financial support from the Mondriaan Fund that covers the same costs.
• It is not permitted to apply for a Residency contribution while studying for a Bachelor’s degree programme in the Netherlands or abroad.
• It is not permitted to use the contribution to pay for a course of study. It is also not permitted to apply for the contribution while studying at an educational institution (e.g. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programmes). The same applies for postgraduate and postdoctoral programmes.
• The applicant is expected to pay a 10% personal contribution. The Mondriaan Fund automatically takes this into account in their ultimate contribution, you do not need to do anything.

• (Visual) documentation.
• Curriculum vitae.
• Explanation of your work and your artistic or substantive principles.
• A plan, including a motivation of why you wish to attend the specific residency.

The quality and development of your oeuvre/practice*

• Do you have a distinctive artistic/substantive vision and is this convincingly conveyed in previous work or activities, or does the committee recognise sufficient initiative in this regard?
• Does the oeuvre/professional practice exhibit quality?
  • For artists: consider e.g. the significance of the oeuvre, the inherent imaginative strength, the command of the selected mediums and/or techniques and the work’s power of expression.
  • For curators/critics: consider e.g. professionalism and skill, the ownership or autonomy of the curatorial activities, the reflection on the selected themes.
• Is there development appropriate to the phase of the professional practice?

The quality of the cultural entrepreneurship*

• Are you actively focused on developing your practice, entering into collaborations, entering into the public eye and finding an audience for your work/activities?

In the case that the advisory committee positively assesses the above criteria, the committee will also assess:

The quality of the plan, the motivation for the residency and your approach to finding an audience for your work

• Are the plan and motivation for the residency convincing and sufficiently suited to the location, facilities and (local) context of the residency?
• Does the residency offer added value for the development of your practice and network?
• Is it sufficiently apparent that your work and/or work process will be presented to the relevant people and/or a relevant audience? Consider e.g. an exhibition, website, blog, open studio or workshop.

*The background and context of the professional practice will be taken into consideration during the assessment, e.g. schooling, cultural context and the nature and duration of the professional practice.

CV artists (max. 3 pages)

Upload your CV with the most important information about your professional practice as a whole, with an emphasis on the last one to four years, depending on when you began. Mention relevant activities such as exhibitions, (film) productions, events, manifestations, commissions, awards, publications, etc., and the associated years. Also mention any ancillary activities, such as teaching and advisory positions.

CV curator/critic

Provide a CV with the most relevant information about your professional practice as a whole, with an emphasis on the last one to four years, depending on when you began. Mention relevant articles and publications, research, exhibitions, manifestations, lectures, commissions, grants and awards. Also mention any ancillary activities, such as teaching positions, advisory and committee positions.

Plan (max. 3 pages)

Describe your substantive motivation for participating in this residency and describe your artistic plan. Explain how your motivation and plan are suitable for the location, facilities and context of the residency. Describe how the residency can help you develop your practice and your network.

Also describe how you will reach a relevant audience and engage them with the project or work that will be created during and after the residency. This may be through e.g. a blog or information about the work period published on your website, or an exhibition, open studio or workshop during or after the residency.

Visual documentation

For artists:
Your application will also be assessed based on visual documentation, with an emphasis on your work from the last one to four years. Create a PDF with a maximum of 20 images of your most important works from the last one to four years. Start with your most recent work. It may help to include a few images of the work as it appeared in presentations, such as an exhibition. Always also include photographs of individual works.

Applicants who make films, performances or installations can also upload a maximum of 15 minutes of audio/video/film fragments. The total of the submitted images and audio or video fragments must not exceed 300 MB.

Include a documentation list in PDF that corresponds with the submitted visual documentation. Include a description or caption for each submitted image and/or audio/video/film fragment, e.g.: 01, title, 2020, loop 2 min. Click here for the technical specifications.

NB: do not use hyperlinks in the PDF with (visual) documentation or in the documentation list. We cannot accept hyperlinks to e.g. web pages, as the submitted visual material may not be adjusted while the application is being processed.

Your application will be processed once the documentation and documentation list have been uploaded.

For curators/art critics:
Your application will also be assessed based on visual documentation, with an emphasis on your work from the last one to four years. Create a PDF with a maximum of six of your most relevant and topical articles and/or a maximum of ten images of recent exhibitions, manifestations or other activities. You can also upload video/film fragments of your past projects (a maximum of 15 minutes in total). Visual documentation can be uploaded separately after the application has been submitted (a maximum of 300 MB in total).

Include a documentation list in PDF that corresponds with the submitted visual documentation. Once you have submitted the application form, you will be sent a confirmation email with a link that you can use to upload the documentation. Click here for the technical specifications.

NB: do not use hyperlinks in the PDF with (visual) documentation or in the documentation list. We cannot accept hyperlinks to e.g. web pages, as the submitted visual material may not be adjusted while the application is being processed.

Your application will be processed once the documentation and documentation list have been uploaded.

If applicable:

Extract from the Personal Records Database (BRP)

If you are not a Dutch citizen, please upload a recent extract (no longer than 3 months old) from the Personal Records Database (BRP).

Bank details and/or Chamber of Commerce extract

We require your bank details in order to transfer the contribution, if granted. If you have applied for funding from the Mondriaan Fund in the past, we may already have this information.

• If you have a new bank account number, or if the Mondriaan Fund does not have your bank account number on file, please upload a recent bank statement that clearly shows your name and IBAN.
• If you have a corporate bank account for your own business, please upload a recent extract from the Chamber of Commerce or comparable international organisation (no longer than three months old), so that we can confirm that the bank account is linked to a sole proprietorship.

Diploma/deregistration or Chamber of Commerce extract

If you have been professionally active as an artist for less than three years, we require a copy of the diplomas from any completed art courses, or in the case that you did not complete the course, confirmation of deregistration from the academy. If you have not attended art school, you can submit a recent extract from the Chamber of Commerce or comparable international organisation (no longer than three months old), so that we can confirm that you are registered as a visual artist.