This is futurism

Futurism is an avant-garde movement that emerged in Italy around 1909-1916. The artists at that time wanted above all to look forward and were not interested in the past. Progress and innovation: these are key words within futurist art. The futurists drew inspiration from all the new inventions, techniques and machines. Take for instance the first cars or aeroplanes. Modern inventions that were naturally accompanied by sounds and movement. And the futurists tried to capture these new dynamics in their works of art.

Futurism was about more than just creating works of art. It determined your way of life: what clothes you wore, what your living room looked like and what you found important. The overall picture had to be right. Or, as the futurists said: an ‘opera d’arte totale’.

The exhibition Futurism & Europe. The Aesthetics of a New World shows how the futurists made their debut in Europe over 100 years ago. Similar avant-garde movements, such as De Stijl and Bauhaus, were also active in Germany, France and the Netherlands at the time. In this futurism exhibition, you will discover how these movements influenced each other.

Loaned works from all over Europe and beyond have travelled to Otterlo especially for this futurism exhibition. There are also many works from the Kröller-Müller collection on display. The exhibition features work by Italian futurists such as Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Fortunato Depero, Antonio Sant’Elia, Benedetta Cappa and Enrico Prampolini. But it also includes work by other avant-garde artists: such as Theo van Doesburg, Gerrit Rietveld, Georges Vantongerloo, Sonia Delaunay, Le Corbusier, Pablo Picasso, Olga Rozanova, Natalia Goncharova, El-Lissitzky, Vladimir Tatlin, Alexander Rodchenko, Walter Gropius, Oskar Schlemmer and Alma Siedhoff-Busscher.

Plan your visit

You can participate in various activities around the futurism exhibition. We organize something every week! For example, you can join various lectures, make your own futurist sound poem or get your nails painted in a futurist style. A few selected activities:

• The (little) big Future book
  Get creative with the assignments in The (little) big Future book. The book is free of charge and you will find it in the exhibition space. Completing nine challenging assignments will give you a different view of futurist art.
• Introductory tour: speed date with the futurists
  Want to really get to know the futurists? Go on a speed date with futurist artists. In 45 minutes, one of our tour guides will take you through the highlights of the exhibition Futurism & Europe.
• Create futurist accessories
  During your visit to the futurism exhibition, drop in to see Tinka of sewing café Steekje los and have your own futurist modificanti made. Dates: 12 July, 19 July, 26 July, 2 August, 4 August, 9 August and 16 August

Tip: follow us on Instagram for updates on the activities.

Go to the calendar

Want to know more about futurism and futurist art? Then read the richly illustrated book with the same title that accompanies the futurism exhibition. This book is available in the museum shop and in the webshop.