The Kröller-Müller Museum

This was the second time we visited the Kröller-Müller Museum. The first time was in the fall of 1995, on a quiet but rainy day. At that time, we enjoyed mainly the indoor exhibit and only a small part of the garden that stretches out for about a mile. We decided to spend most of the time outside this time, as we had mostly-sunny weather.

The museum, located in the middle of the Hoge Veluwe National Park, has an outdoor sculpture garden that combines a forest on this flat land and artificial gardens. It occupies a surprisingly large area, but small enough to explore on foot, if you take time to do so. The sculptures and installation arts are fantastic.

While it’s fairly easy to find the sign stating the name of the piece, the artist and the creation year, some of the art was not so obvious to the eye.

You never know what will turn up in front of eyes. That makes it exciting to explore this garden. Sometimes a narrow path takes a visitor through bushes, just like hiking. Sculptures seem to be listening to all the birds in the forest and just waiting for visitors in odd places, such as on a branch of a tall tree, on the other side of a small hill, or in between the shades of trees. Walking through the Kröller-Müller sculpture garden is kind of like Easter egg hunting, and unexpected objects can suddenly appear in front of you at any time.

High school students on a class trip, and several tourist groups made the museum a busy place. Between the waves of people, there were moments when we could hear only birds with only the sculptures standing dark and shiny on the green lawn.

A Japanese man from one of the tour groups took out his watercolors and sketchbook and began to draw fast and furiously. The museum’s closing time and the departure of his bus were imminent. Though a bit rushed, he was in deep concentration to finish up his small painting. His wife was standing by him, looking vaguely toward the forest over the lawn. I sent him a message without sounds, “I hope just you and your wife can visit here again next time.”