Kopie van een Besluit van Emma (koningin-regentes der Nederlanden) Possibly 1892 - 1899

This is a copy of a decree by Emma, Queen Regent of the Netherlands, created in March 1892 by August Allebé. It speaks to the politics of art education in the Netherlands at the end of the 19th century, and what constituted the most relevant artistic training. The letter is addressed to the artist Piet Mondrian, communicating the Queen’s desire for him to relocate to Amsterdam or the Hague. This was so that he could either teach at the State Academy of Fine Arts or advise the Academy of Visual Arts. This decree brings up several points: the power wielded by the monarchy over the arts, and the gendered nature of that power. It also poses questions about what it meant for Mondrian, who would develop an abstract visual language, to be summoned by the Queen. Allebé’s copy reflects the complexities of art’s relationship to the state, and the artist’s negotiations within such structures. It reminds us that even the most radical artistic visions often emerge from very specific social and political contexts.