The Chabot Museum in Rotterdam has occupied a monumental example of Nieuwe Bouwen architecture, the functionalist Dutch arm of the International Modern style, since 1993. The white corner villa overlooking the Museumpark is a design from 1938 by the architects G.W. Baas and L. Stokla. Characteristic features of the house include the naturally lit spaces, the openness towards the garden and the unique views of the Museumpark's surroundings. Before establishing himself as an independent architect, Baas had worked for the Brinkman & Van der Vlugt architecture bureau, which established its international reputation with designs for the neighbouring Sonne-veld House (now a museum dwelling), the Van Nelle Factory and the Feijenoord Stadium in Rotterdam.
The Chabot Museum boasts one of the most important collections of work by the painter and sculptor Henk Chabot (1894-1949), a Dutch expressionist, and complements this with work by Chabot's contemporaries. The museum organizes a dynamic, international exhibition programme on the basis of this collection.
This book showcases the architecture and restoration of this building, which was listed as a National Monument in 2007, along with the Chabot Museum's collection and its policy as a museum. Photographs by Rotterdam-based photographer Jannes Linders take the reader on an alluring voyage of discovery through the area around the Chabot Museum and the ensemble of white villas to which the property belongs. This verdant little neighbourhood, situated opposite the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and the Netherlands Architecture Institute, is a unique location in the city centre.
Besides this little neighbourhood providing a backdrop for visual arts and cultural projects, it also provides the setting in which Rotterdam's exceptional architectural heritage from the Nieuwe Bouwen period can be re-experienced.
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