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Dutch Museum Visits 2024

During my Dutch trip in 2024 I visited a number of museums. In my blog report I showed only a few photos of these museum visits. Here is a larger collection.

The Frans Hals exhibition in the Rijksmuseum

This was a temporary exhibition in the Rijksmuseum (until 9 June, closed now). Click here for more information.
Around 50 key works were shown, partly from the museum's own collection, partly on loan from other museums. A good representation of this famous Dutch Golden Age painter. The paintings are not in chronological order, when you click on the caption you will be linked to a Wikipedia article about the painting.

The Merry Drinker

Portrait of Catharina Brugman

Portrait of a Man Holding a Skull

Marriage Portrait of Isaac Massa and Beatrix van der Laen

Portrait of Michiel de Wael

Portrait of Willem van Heythuysen

The Banquet of the Officers of the St George Militia Company in 1616

The Rommelpot Player

Boy with a Glass and a Lute

Young man with a skull

The Gypsy Girl

Singing Boy with Flute

Malle Babbe

The Lute Player

Fruit and Vegetabl Seller

Meagre Company

Catharina Hooft with her Nurse

Portrait of Jasper Schade van Westrum

Museum Het Schip

The museum is located in a public housing complex, designed by architect Michel de Klerk. The housing block was built in 1919 and was nicknamed Het Schip (The Ship) because of its shape. It is a top example of the Amsterdamse School. More information can be found here. The museum is dedicated to the architect, who also designed furniture. A guided tour shows you the former post ofiice and a restored apartment.

The front facade of Het Schip

Detail of the facade

Inside the museum, originally a school

The former post office

The post office has been operating until 1999

One of the apartments has been restored in its original state

Museum Huis van Hilde

The museum Huis van Hilde houses the archeological collection of the North Holland province. There is a permanent exhibion of around 1000 finds, some of them skeletal remains, from the Neanderthal period onwards. What makes the museum very interesting is that models have been made of 14 of these skeletal finds, which are shown in period dress. One of them is based on the skeleton of a young woman, who lived in the 4th century. She was named Hilde and the museum carries her name. The series of models makes it clear how complicated the history of North Holland has been.

Huis van Hilde museum

Entrance

Hilde van Castricum

Historical canoes

A kids corner

Eise EisingaPlanetarium

The Eise Eisinga planetarium in Franeker is the oldest working planetarium (orrery) in the world. It was built in the 18th century by Eise Esinga, a wealthy wool merchant and amateur astronomer. Since last year it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He built the orrery against the celing of his livingroom , with the mechanism on the floor above. The motion of the planets is in real time, for example the moon orbits earth in 27 days and Jupiter makes one round in 12 years. It is a popular tourist attraction, you need to book a time slot.

Martena Museum

The Martena Musuem is located in Franeker and housed in a 14th century stronghold (a stins) It is dedicated to the history of Franeker, an important town in the past, with the second-oldest university of the Netherlands. The town castle has an attractive garden.

UNiversity professors

Noordbrabants Museum

The famous 15th century painter Jeroen Bosch lived all of his life in 's Hertogenbosch. His statue can be found at the Market square in the town center. But the Noordbrabants Museum doesn't have any of his paintings. However, they have paintings of another 's Hertogenbosch painter, post-impressionist Jan Sluyters. Here are a few of his works.

Slager Museum

The Slager Museum is a small museum in 's Hertogenbosch, dedicated to the work of eight local painters from three generations of the Slager family. Petrus Marinus Slager, the founder became famous for his painting Old Soldiers of Waterloo.The museum had an interesting temporary exhibition, Het Geheim van de Meester (the Master's Secret). This is a TV-documentary where a team of experts tries to make exact reproductions of world-famous paintings. Here is a reconstrution of Jereoen Bosch' The Wayfarer. (the original is in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam)

Old Soldiers of Waterloo

The Wayfarer (reproduction)

Van Gogh Museum

Although I have been living "around the corner" of the Van Gogh Museum I have not visited it for several decades. I went there because a friend from UK was interested. It is so popular that you have to book a time slot quite a few days before your planned visit. I have presented the paintings in chronological order, click on the captions for more information. Van Gogh started painting in 1881 when he was 28 and took his own life in 1889 when he was 37. The almost abstract Tree Roots, created a few weeks before his death, is my favourite.

Two Women on the Peat Moor (1883)

The Potato Eaters (1885)

Garden with Courting Couples: Square Saint-Pierre (1887)

Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat (1887)

Courtesan (after Eisen) (1887)

The Pink Peach Tree (1888)

Self-Portrait as a Painter (1888)

Self-Portrait with Pipe and Straw Hat (1888)

The Harvest (1888)

Gauguin's Chair (1888)

Sunflowers (1889)

Vase with Irises Against a Yellow Background (1889)

Undergrowth (1889)

Almond Blossoms (1890)

Snow-Covered Field with a Harrow (after Millet) (1890)

Wheatfield with Crows (1890)

Tree Roots (1890)

Matthew Wong exhibiton in the Van Gogh Museum

A temporary exhibition of the Chinese/Canadian artist Matthew Wong (1984-2019). A fascinating experience. Open until 1 September, don't miss it when you are around. Several reasons why this exhibition is in the Van Gogh Museum. Van Gogh was one of the inspirations for Matthew Wong. Both started painting only in their late twenties, both had mental problems and both ended their lives at a young age. Melancholy, loneliness characterise much of his work. I was very impressed.