Modern art museum Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam has included the distinctive red and white Dirk supermarket shopping bag in its collection, praising its “cultural impact” .
The bag, designed by Eugène Roorda and Mart Boudestein, has been around since 2001 and has become “part of the Dutch cityscape,” the museum said. It also appeared on the catwalk during Amsterdam Fashion Week, turning it into a coveted fashion item.
The bag is a powerful combination of “simplicity, functionality and recognisability”, Stedelijk director Rein Wolfs said, and is an example of how good design does not have to be expensive. The red bag wit hits white lettering currently costs €1.49.
Dirk supermarkets director Marcel Huizing said the inclusion of the bag is a “milestone”. “We are very honoured that our bag, which was initially purely functional, is now part of Dutch design. It shows that something simple but well made and recognisable can turn into an icon,” he said.
The question why the Dirk bag and not the equally recognisable Hema or Albert Heijn bag was chosen has to do with its “emphatic ordinariness”, art critic Merlijn Schoonenboom said in the NRC.
The contrast between the image of Dirk as a bargain supermarket and the prestigious environment of a museum makes it more interesting and gives it “an extra, rebellious dimension,” he said.
Reactions among shoppers varied from “not very special” to why not” and “I’d rather see a Rembrandt”. Asked if they would visit a museum to see the bag, one woman told broadcaster NOS: “I have to look at it every day”.
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