This is Premsela - A relationship with books

The exhibition and installation This is Premsela — A Relationship with Books was curated and designed by Palestinian curator Ali As'ad. As'ad used the part of the book collection that is in the Van Eesteren Museum House as a starting point for a search for the other parts of the book collection by Benno Premsela and Friso Broeksma. He then viewed the collection by a contemporary queer-lens. In doing so, As'ad tries to illustrate the wider context of Benno Premsela's life, work and legacy. In doing so, he is particularly interested in reconstructing the missing spaces around and between the scattered collections and speculating about how and with what those spaces might have been filled. As'ad looked at previous exhibitions about Premsela and objects and documents he found in other private and institutional archives, including the Amsterdam City Archives and the Ihlia Archive in the Amsterdam Public Library.

Museum home as a research place

The exhibition This is Premsela — A Relationship with Books is part of the program component “Museum House as a Research Place”. Here, objects from the museum home are put in the spotlight and reinterpreted by contemporary designers and curators. The large bookcase on the bottom floor of the house is the first object to be examined in this way.

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In addition to the books, the exhibition and installation This is Premsela — A Relationship with Books also includes pieces from the Van Eesteren Museum's furniture collection. With this furniture, Benno Premsela-like shop windows are created where visitors can get acquainted with and/or read the book collection.

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Book collection on display

The book collection is located in the Van Eesteren Museum House. Researchers and interested parties who want to view the books can view them upon request. For more information, click here.