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Building styles/architecture
In the seventeenth century the Dutch
conquered Curaçao and they built many forts to defend
the coastline. In the St. Annabaai area depots, houses, and
government buildings also rose from the ground. Country houses
were built to the west of the island. Everywhere Dutch architecture
is clearly visible. The materials and constructions were adapted
to local circumstances. The front of the buildings made in baroque
style characterize the local architecture. In 1997 Willemstad
was placed on the international world heritage list of Unesco
(link to country houses).
Furniture Art
In the 18th and 19th century the Antilleans were cabinetmakers.
You could distinguish American and European art in closets,
chairs, tables and beds. Mahogany from Hispania (Dominica) was
most often used to make furniture. Many cabinetmakers lived
in the alley areas of Otrobanda. This antique furniture can
be admired in different museums and renovated country houses
(see musea).
Visual Arts
Art began to bloom very late in the Netherlands Antilles. Initially
only the upper class created and traded in art, which was strongly
influenced by Europe. It was not until the 19th century that
cultural life and also art began to flourish. Mr Cris Engels
(1907 – 1980) was a doctor and a painter. He was a pioneer
in the development of art on the island.
Mr Engels and later also his wife, Lucida, often held art lectures
and meetings in their home at the Molenplein in Otrobanda.
Cris Engels organised many expositions on the island. In 1948
he opened the ‘Curaçaose Museum’, the first
art museum in the Netherlands Antilles.
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Historic Buildings and Monuments on the island.
A selection of the property of the Curaçao
Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation
Visit.
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