Jan Van Eyck Academie
| Jan Van Eyck Academie | |
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| Type | Post-academic art institute |
|---|---|
| Established | 1948 |
| Dean | Lex ter Braak (director) |
| Students | 39 researchers (2013) |
| Location |
Maastricht, Netherlands 50°50′45″N 5°41′12″E / 50.8457°N 5.6866°ECoordinates: 50°50′45″N 5°41′12″E / 50.8457°N 5.6866°E |
| Website | http://www.janvaneyck.nl |
The Jan van Eyck Academie is a post-academic institute for research and production in the fields of fine art, design and art theory, based in Maastricht, Netherlands. The academy was established in 1948 and is named after the painter Jan van Eyck. In 2013, 39 researches from countries around the world were working and studying at the institutes premises in Jekerkwartier. In 2012, the Hubert van Eyck Academie was established as a 'teaching bridge', linking the Jan van Eyck Academy with Maastricht University and other Maastricht art schools.
In 1928 the priest Leo Linssen, the architect Alphons Boosten and the artist-writer Jan Engelman discussed the state of art in the province of Limburg, and the need for an art academy in the south of the Netherlands based on Roman Catholic principles. However, their ideas did not materialize at the time. Nearly two decades later, in December 1947, the Saint Bernulphus Foundation succeeded in establishing an institute for advanced education in fine art based on Catholic principles in Maastricht. The institute is named after the painter Jan van Eyck, born in Maaseik, not far from Maastricht, and considered a suitable role model for Catholic artists. The academy in Maastricht was originally conceived as a Catholic counterpart of the non-denominational Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, founded in 1870. The institute's main objectives were to further and expand art education in the broadest sense of the word, although the deed also clearly stipulated that the students should be trained in their art practice for tasks in the service of the Catholic Church, which involved the reconstruction, restoration and decoration of churches destroyed in the war. The academy was established as a private institute, subsidized by the state, the province of Limburg and local authorities.
On 13 May 1948, the feast of patron saint Servatius of Maastricht, the founding charter was signed by representatives of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Province of Limburg, the city of Maastricht, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Roermond. This day has ever since been observed as the academy's dies natalis. Classes started on 1 October 1948 with seven students enrolled; their numbers increased to fifteen in the course of the first academic year. Compulsory subjects included the history of art, iconography, theology and philosophy, liturgy, sources of Christian art, history of civilization and literature. However, the statement of principles stressed that contemporary art was vital as well to the academy's set-up. In November 1948, the priest Leo W. Linssen was assigned first director of the Jan van Eyck Academie. Linssen, in his opening speech referred to Van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece as an example of 'Christian art'.
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