Piet Mondriaan: Victory Boogie Woogie (unfinished), 1942-1944 |
Victory Boogie Woogie
On august 28, 1998, the Dutch government acquired this last and unfinished painting by Mondriaan, for an amount over 80 million guilders. My main objection against this purchase was that the money disappeared in the pockets of a private person (mr. S. Newhouse, who had it displayed in his New York apartment), whereas the money could also have been spent on stimulating alive Dutch artists. Towards me, the Dutch government made a better gesture: The "Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst" commissioned me to write this composition for the Rotterdam Jazz Project. The available budget however, was only 0,005% of the amount that was spent on the Victory Boogie Woogie. |