The KB celebrated it bicentennial in 1998 with a spectacular exhibition in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. A labyrinthian city of books has been built here. The city houses 26 exhibitions, one for each letter of the alphabet. That explains the name: The wonderful alphabet. In each structure, a world on its own is built, related to a theme from the immense diversity of the KB holdings.
The exhibition didn't only highlight the old collections ('the treasures') but also paid attention to the Deposit of Dutch Publications which houses the contemporary book production of the Netherlands. To symbolize the abundance the central area in the church was taken up by an enormous bookcase, 40 metres long, 9 metres wide and high, in which the story of the KB was told by means of a slide presentation and in which one can make computer searches for all kinds of publications.
Revisit the 1998 exhibition by clicking on the alphabet above.
|
|
|