Jan van Hoof galerie
Can you live in a gallery? The Jan van Hoof galerie is a fascinating combination of gallery and home. Visiting feels like entering the inviting residence of Jan and Will, where the scent of freshly baked cake welcomes you. This creates an atmosphere where art becomes a natural part of daily life, unlike the more traditional "white cube" galleries or museums.
However, the 1920s villa, with its striking 'beton brut' pavilion, is anything but ordinary. It’s an artistic space with generous rooms for gathering and inspiration, offering a stunning panoramic view of the Bossche Broek nature reserve.
To mark their thirtieth anniversary, Jan and Will decided to renovate the outdated kitchen, transforming it into a central meeting place for vernissages. This was the main design task for Thomas Kemme Architects and Reset Architecture. In addition to this main renovation, several less visible updates were made in the building, including addressing moisture issues, installing new cabinetry, and improving acoustics and LED exhibition lighting. Originally, the ground floor of the villa was divided by a central corridor, separating the exhibition side with its en suite rooms from the serving spaces. Reset Architecture saw an opportunity to adjust the layout, integrating the functional areas, like the kitchen, as additional exhibition space. The result is an open floor plan where exhibition rooms flow into one another, culminating in the 'beton brut' pavilion designed by Thomas Kemme Architects in 2000. This open layout fosters connections between spaces and provides visitors with a clear and intuitive path to view the art.
The serving spaces are clustered. The staircase, wardrobe, kitchen cabinets, and toilet are enclosed in thickened 'hollow walls' that separate the exhibition spaces. The new bright yellow kitchen island has also become a bar and a gathering spot for the gallery. Reset Architecture and Thomas Kemme Architects envisioned it as a striking monolithic block, its bold color clearly defining its place in the gallery and accentuates the ambivalent atmosphere of living and exhibiting.
