Museum De Lakenhal celebrates 150 years
Year-round celebration
Museum De Lakenhal is celebrating. Since 1874, the former Laecken-Halle has been the place for history and art in Leiden. We are celebrating our anniversary with all kinds of activities and exhibitions. For example, Rembrandt's first paintings will be on display for 150 days and you can visit the museum for free on our birthday, May 1st. Here's what else to do.
Exhibitions
Rembrandts four senses - His first paintings
20 January until 30 March 2025 (extended)
In honor of the 150th anniversary of Museum De Lakenhal, Rembrandt's earliest known paintings are on display together for the first time in Leiden. Rembrandt made this series when he was around 18 years old and living in Leiden. The four paintings are on display in the museum for 150 days.
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Kimsooja - Thread Roots
2 March until 21 July 2024
Kimsooja is one of the world's leading artists. In this anniversary year of Museum De Lakenhal, Kimsooja is coming to the Netherlands for her first solo presentation. Starting March 2, you will see her art, in which she combines personal history with global themes such as migration, mobility and the feeling of being somewhere at home.
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450 Years' Worth of Festive Processions
21 September 2024 until 4 March 2025
Celebrating together is of all times. Parades are the perfect form for that. Walk through four and a half centuries of Leiden parades history in this exhibition. Together with the city and the university, the museum celebrates Leiden's rich tradition in this field.
read more150 YEARS OF MUSEUM DE LAKENHAL IN POSTERS
1 MAY 2024 TILL 1 JANUARY 2025
For as long as Museum De Lakenhal has existed, posters have appeared. They were made to promote exhibitions with famous Leiden artists such as Rembrandt, Floris Verster and the Zangeres Zonder Naam, but also for special presentations with dental art, Japanese embroidery and collections of pipes, medals and stamps. The posters bring the museum's history to life, while illustrating the evolution of ad design. View a selection at Café Laken during our anniversary year.
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SUMMER! - A SELECTION FROM THE COLLECTION
16 July 2024 T/M 13 October 2025
From Jan Wolkers to Annie Goddijn: in the summer of 2024, you will see in the presentation Summers! - A Selection from the Collection you will see over thirty works by artists who were inspired by summer. The works come from the collection of Museum De Lakenhal and date from the period 1850 to 2000, a time when the perception of summer changed greatly from a working to a vacation period. The exhibition is on view from July 16 through October 13, 2024.
read moreActivities
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Museum De Lakenhal celebrates
Free admission on May 1st
In its early years from 1874, Museum De Lakenhal was free to visit every Sunday afternoon - ever since its inception, the museum has wanted to make the city's collection accessible to everyone. In keeping with that tradition, Museum De Lakenhal will also be open free of charge on its birthday on 1 May. With a festive program of presentations, music, workshops, meetings and more.
read moreNight of the senses
In the evening, you can also visit the museum for free during the Night of the Senses. Inspired by the presentation of Rembrandt's Senses, contemporary artists will play on your senses in different ways.
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Sunday Lecture
Every first Sunday of the month.
During Sunday Lecture, we dive deeper into the historical and art historical stories accompanying the collection. How does the restoration of a collection piece work? What can be told about this new acquisition? And how does digital knowledge play a role in the management of the collection? Sunday Lecture takes place every first Sunday of the month in the Auditorium of Museum De Lakenhal from 11.00 to 12.30 hrs. Admission price is €5.
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Museumnight
Saturday, June 1st, 2024
Also this year Museum De Lakenhal is participating in Museumnacht Leiden. During this evening the entire museum will be open and you can participate in a variety of activities. Keep an eye on the site for the current program.
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Kunstroute
21 and 22 September 2024
On September 21 and 22, professional artists in Leiden will once again open their studios to the public. With the Art Route, Museum De Lakenhal offers a stage to visual arts in all shapes and sizes; from painting to ceramics, from photography to contemporary design, from jewelry to performances.
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and more....
Read all about our history
Why is Museum De Lakenhal named Lakenhal? And what journey did The Last Judgment take before it came to the museum? You can read all that and more in the history of Museum De Lakenhal, the collection and the building.