Rothko exhibition breaks Den Haag attendance record

More than 265 thousand people visited the Mark Rothko exhibition in the Gemeentemuseum (Municipal Museum) over the last few months, museum director Benno Tempel told ANP on the closing day of the exhibition. This is a record number of visitors for the museum. Tempel thinks the record number of visitors can be attributed to the difficult times in the world. "It has to do with meaning. Rothko is comforting. In times when it is heavy with uncertainty, it is reassuring to see art that makes you calm or make you know comfort. That is the power of art" According to the director, the fact that this was the first major Rothko exhibition in the Netherlands since 1972 also played a roll. The American Mark Rothco, born as Marcus Rothkowitz in today's Latvia (1903-1970), is known for his color planes. His paintings raise a lot of money at auctions.