An elderly couple enjoying a sunny afternoon in the garden of the Rosa Spier house
© AFP/File Maartje BlidensteinLAREN, The Netherlands (AFP) - A stone's throw from the village of Laren east of Amsterdam, the Rosa Spier retirement home sits amid greenery and gardens full of cherry blossoms now in full bloom.
Old age does not stop art and this original household offers aging artists a safe and serene environment in which to keep working, free from the day-to-day worries of running a household.
"It's one of the last real salons in the sense of a meeting place for artists and intellectuals," said Marijke Biegel-Straeter, 78. Failing vision and a bad fall sped up this former gallery owner's retirement.
Opened in 1969, the home was the brainchild of the late harpist Rosa Spier and financed by her wealthy, art-loving friend Henriette Polak. The women dreamed of a place where visual and performing artists could keep creating unhindered, even in their final years.
Managing director, Mrs. Van Wassenaar of the Rosa Spier house
© AFP/File Maartje Blindenstein"Theme" retirement homes are not unheard of in the Dutch welfare state, which helps subsidise the cost of accommodation but only when it becomes impossible for seniors to live alone.
Single religion homes exist, as do some for elderly freemasons, former seamen and even ageing junkies or old-age vegetarians. But Rosa Spier is the sole 'art' home recognized and partly funded by the Dutch state.
For people like Biegel-Straeter, it is a boon. Surrounded by neighbours who are painters, sculptors, musicians, writers and actors, the one-time gallery owner carries on a rich intellectual life.
Like most living here, she has an elegantly furnished two-room apartment with a small kitchen overlooking the garden. Some residents also have a studio or a music room where they work, complete with bohemian look.
The time passes quickly with concerts, exhibitions and lectures organized on the grounds. On a recent visit, the calm in this haven was broken by dazzling arpeggios from the concert hall and lively debate by pensioners in the cafe on the grounds.
Mrs Struyk, resident of the Rosa Spier house, in her livingroom
© AFP/File Maartje Blindenstein"Sometimes it is too much," Biegel-Straeter smiled.
"Last year 17 of us (residents) died. That is also part of life," she said.
The lively septuagenarian has very clear ideas about her own death. She calmly explains that she knows her wishes will be respected at the Rosa Spier house.
"The thing I appreciate most about this place is that freedom," she said.
Actress Fiet Fokkema-Dekker, 85, is also frank about her approaching end.
"I came here to die but that does not weigh heavily on me," she said.
She praises the service and the food. Sometimes she misses the liveliness of the Amsterdam city centre but she appreciates the beautiful surroundings of the retirement home.
"It is a privilege to be here," Dekker said.
Despite retirement after 30 years in theatre, the former actress still puts on a show from time to time for the other residents but says her new passion is poetry.
"Being an artist does not stop because of old age. Here our residents continue to meet other artists, they talk about their work, they are examples for each other," said the home's manager Betty Wassenaar.
A sculpture and paintings on display in the central hall of the Rosa Spier house
© AFP/File Maartje BlindensteinPlaces are scarce in Rosa Spier house, whose most famous resident to date was the late Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher, known for his mathematical woodcarvings and never-ending geometric patterns.
"We have 73 apartments and a very long waiting list."
Prospective residents must submit a curriculum vitae to a commission which ultimately decides.
With the restrictions on state funding for the elderly, the Rosa Spier House is planning to construct a new building with larger, so-called service apartments to rent to "younger" artists in better health.
The plan is a partial privatization designed to reduce the average age of residents, now 84, and further develop the site as a center for cultural exchange with the outside world -- the intention of its founders, the manager said.
The home already holds concerts and exhibitions in a specially designed space in the entrance hall.
"We only show the works of our residents here once a year. The idea is that we especially want to show artists who are not residents here in order to attract new visitors," Wassenaar said.
©AFP