Dies Natalis Art Exhibition

(linked to the theme of Professor Peter A.G. van Bergeijk's inaugural address)

ANTIDOTES FROM THE DISMAL SCIENCE

Organised in the midst of a severe financial and economic crisis, the exhibition 'Antidotes from the dismal science' is timely. The official opening, on October 29, 2009 - the 80th anniversary of Black Thursday, the day of the major Wall Street Crash in 1929 - is not accidental. The exhibition offers a different perspective on the economy, bringing together a representative selection of the works of art of 13 artists from Belgium, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and the United States. The artists share an important feature: they all have a professional training as an economist.

These economists as a group (and sometimes individually) master the relevant disciplines in modern economics: micro, macro, international economics, business economics, development economics, political economy and even sociology and history of thought. The group is an exceptional breed including six PhD's, five professors and a former Minister of Economic Affairs.

In a sense, such creativity should not come as a surprise, because the artistic way clearly adds value: thinking out of the box, relying on your intuition and curiosity form the fertile breeding ground for both economic science and policy. One of the hopeful messages of the exhibition is that creativity and economics go hand in hand. Creativity makes economics colorful and perhaps even a happier science.

Contributing artists:

* Hans Abbing
* Rossella Bargiacchi
* William Baumol (co-artist: Alice Terrill)
* Liesbeth Bos
* Peeter Burgeik
* Mark Eyskens
* Philip Hans Franses
* Gerrit Faber
* Erik Kloosterhuis
* Jan Pen
* Ric Richardt
* Winand Staring