Everyone knows a statue somewhere in the Netherlands. There are many monuments in the Netherlands, and they often show us something about our country’s history. The Gipsoteca reveals the artistic process behind these statues.

The Gipsoteca by the Sea is a unique concept in the Netherlands and enjoys a large level of support from the community. Various schools, academies and universities are involved in this project. There is something for people of all ages in the Gipsoteca. It is entertaining, educational and fun! Museum Beelden aan Zee invites everyone to come and follow a workshop in the Gipsoteca, individually or as a group, and have a look at this fascinating display of more than one thousand unique plaster models.

The sculptures and studies in plaster provide a special way of understanding the process of creating modern sculpture in the Netherlands and they document this development down to the finest details. The Gipsoteca by the Sea is built up around two core collections: the collections from the studios of sculptors Mari Andriessen and Cor Hund. Besides hundreds of sketches and models by these two sculptors sit works from Jan Bronner, Federico Carasso, Jaap Kaas and John Rädecker.

The Gipsoteca provides insight into the development of several of the best-known sculptures in the Netherlands, including the ‘Docker’ in Amsterdam. Dozens of studies made for this sculpture can soon be seen here. With this large and continually growing number of unique plaster models, Gipsoteca by the Sea provides a permanent overview of the stepping stones of modern sculpture in the Netherlands.