Rijksmuseum Displays Works by Female Artists in Its Gallery of Honour for the First Time in History

By Allegra Tenenbaum

In honour of International Women’s Day, the Rijksmuseum permanently hung three works by female artists in the museum’s Gallery of Honour. The decision marks the first time in its 220-year history that pieces by women are being exhibited in the museum’s most central and prestigious gallery. The three works, two portraits and one still life, were painted by Dutch Golden Age artists Judith Leyster (1600-1660), Gesina ter Borch (1633-1690) and Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750). The pieces were placed alongside works by male Dutch masters of the 17th century such as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals, who have a greater representation in history.

Photograph of the Gallery of Honour, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Courtesy of Artnet News.

Through the decision to hang these three works, the Rijksmuseum is working towards its goal of highlighting the significance of female artists, patrons and curators to the history of the museum’s collections. The museum is also currently undertaking a comprehensive research programme focusing on women’s contributions to Dutch art history. In reference to the history of the museum, Jenny Reynaerts, the curator of 19th-century painting and chair of the research programme, explains ‘remarkably little of this story, however, is told from a female perspective. This is evident both in the composition of the collection and in the lack of documented knowledge of the role of women in Dutch history.’ Through this programme, the museum aims to fill in gaps by discovering the forgotten, and often ignored, stories of female Dutch artists. In addition, the museum is partnering with students at the University of Amsterdam to formulate biographies of women who were depicted alongside their husbands in portraits from the collections, in a project called ‘The Wife Of.’

Judith Leyster, The Serenade, 1629, oil on panel, Courtesy of Rijkmuseum, Amsterdam.

By looking at the historic collections from a new perspective, the Rijksmuseum is taking an important step in raising awareness around the lack of female representation in institutions around the world. While the museum is currently closed to the public due to Covid-19 restrictions, viewers are able to engage with various virtual and video content to discover more about the stories of female artists and their works

Rachel Ruysch, Still Life with Flowers in a Glass Vase, 1690-1720, oil on canvas, Courtesy of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Bibliography

Sarah Cascone, “For the First Time Ever, the Rijksmuseum Will Hang Works by Female Dutch Masters in Its Most Prestigious Gallery,” ArtNet News, March 11, 2021. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/rijksmuseum-female-artists-gallery-of-honor-1950686

“Rijksmuseum Presents Women Artists in the Gallery of Honour for the First Time,” Rijkmuseum, March 8, 2021. https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/press/press-releases/rijksmuseum-presents-women-artists-in-the-gallery-of-honour-for-the-first-time’

Nora McGreevy, “For the First Time, in Its 200-Year History, the Rijksmuseum Features Women Artists in Gallery of Honour,” Smithsonian Magazine, March 11, 2021. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rijksmuseum-will-display-work-women-artists-its-gallery-honour-first-time-180977209/

Claire Selvin, “Rijksmuseum to Permanently Hang Works by Women Artists in Its Gallery of Honor,”

ArtNews, March 9, 2021. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/rijksmuseum-gallery-of-honor-women-artists-1234586199/