until Sunday January 18 2026

Kunstmuseum Den Haag
Stadhouderslaan 41
2517 HV The Hague
The Netherlands

Contact
info@kunstmuseum.nl
https://www.kunstmuseum.nl/en

The Simple things exhibition offers an intimate glimpse into the poetic visual world of Klaus Baumgärtner. Using branches, wooden blocks, newspaper clippings, pencils, erasers and tin cans, Baumgärtner achieved creative expression through the mundane.

Baumgärtner worked in a tradition known as assemblage, a movement which emerged in the early 20th century in response to the aesthetic pomp of the artistic establishment. He began each work with the act of looking and then collected objects that caught his eye. Focusing on simplicity and tranquillity, he altered these found materials as little as possible. The resulting works centre on the interplay of rhythm, form, line, contrast and connection.

The humble combinations avoid any fixed narrative. Quite the opposite, in fact: Baumgärtner was not interested in explanations. His work invites the viewer to look and to find beauty in the ordinary and the unexpected.