The Hoerengracht (1983–8), by American artists Ed Kienholz (1927–1994) and Nancy Reddin Kienholz (born 1943), will transform the National Gallery's Sunley Room into a walk-through evocation of Amsterdam's Red Light District. It will be the first time an installation of this kind has been exhibited at the National Gallery. The Hoerengracht is one of the most significant pieces of installation art made by the Kienholzes before Ed's death in the mid-1990s. Intense and often shocking, the ground-breaking installations – developed by Ed in the 1960s and continued in collaboration with his wife Nancy from 1972 – connect both to the art of the past and to more contemporary developments. Artists such as Mike Kelley, Paul McCarthy, Mike Nelson, the Chapman brothers, Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst have all produced work that is in a direct line of descent from Kienholz.

Made in the Kienholzes' Berlin studio, The Hoerengracht ('Whore's Canal'), a classic example of assemblage art, breaks down the barrier between art gallery space and the real world by using objects from everyday life to address the theme of prostitution in a direct and unadulterated way.

The highly polemical street scene explores the idea of 'love for sale' – a theme that has been interpreted by artists
over many centuries. Near to the evocative installation, a selection of 17th-century Dutch paintings from the National
Gallery's own collection will be displayed to create a historic perspective. These will include Jan Steen's Interior of an Inn, Godfried Schalcken's A Man Offering Gold and Coins to a Girl and Pieter de Hooch's A Musical Party in a Courtyard.

Supported by Outset Contemporary Art Fund

For information, please contact 020 7747 2885 or
The National Gallery
Trafalgar Square
London
WC2N 5DN
National Gallery Kienholz Page

Dates and opening hours
18 November 2009 – 21 February 2010
Daily 10am–6pm, Friday until 9pm
Last admission 5.15pm (8.15pm Friday)

Admission Free

Catalogue
The Hoerengracht: Kienholz at the National Gallery
By Colin Wiggins and Annemarie De Wildt

This catalogue explains how The Hoerengracht resonates powerfully with paintings by Dutch masters of the
17th century, widely represented in the National Gallery Collection. Readers are also introduced to the Kienholzes,
an innovative and controversial artistic partnership who have influenced contemporary artists. The authors also
consider The Hoerengracht's memorable place in Amsterdam's colourful history.