Exhibitions

Louis Napoleon & his Palace in Dam Square

The exhibition Louis Napoleon & his Palace in Dam Square will be open to the public at Amsterdam Royal Palace from 29 June to 16 September 2012. The exhibition examines the reign of Louis Napoleon, the first King of Holland, and highlights the building as the residence of the French sovereign.
The exhibition tells the remarkable story of the first sovereign to make the building his home. It traces the impact of Louis Napoleon’s stay on the building itself as well as its art and decor. The presentation includes a number of short documentary films made especially for this occasion. An exhibition catalogue will be published by WBooks.

The Town Hall of Amsterdam turned into a Royal Palace on 20 April 1808, when it became the residence of the first King of Holland, 29-year-old Louis Napoleon (1778-1846) of France. Two years later it served briefly as the palace of his brother, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. This period under French rule was a turning point in the history of the building and indeed the Netherlands as a whole.

Louis Napoleon left his mark on the country as well as the building. During his four years on the throne he consolidated the reforms introduced in the Batavian Republic between 1795 and 1806 and implemented measures with far-reaching and lasting repercussions. He was forced to abdicate in 1812 at which point Holland was annexed to France. The building nevertheless retained its function as a palace. The Palace in Dam Square is now used by the Dutch Royal House of Orange for State functions and official receptions. On taking the throne in 1814, William I followed the same course as Louis Napoleon. Later sovereigns of the House of Orange have likewise continued to build on his legacy.

The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in Amsterdam is hosting a symposium on Louis Napoleon in September 2012 (the date will be announced later).

Charles Howard Hodges (1764-1837), Louis Napoleon, king of Holland from 1808-1810, 1809, oil on canvas, 223 x 147 cm. Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

The Royal Palace Amsterdam is one of the most famous buildings in the capital of the Netherlands. In 2009 more rooms opened to the public after extensive restoration and renovation of the interior. Many rooms can be visited from the building that was designed and built as the Town Hall of Amsterdam, later converted into a Palace. Visitors walk on the first floor, with the imposing Citizens’ Hall, the Mayor Departure, the Alderman Hall, the Vroedschapskamer. Magnificent halls used today for official events of the Dutch Royal House. Paintings by famous artists such as Ferdinand Bol and Govaert Flinck and sculpture of the Antwerp sculptor Artus Quellinus refer symbolically to the power and wealth of the city of Amsterdam in the Dutch Golden Age. On the ground floor is the Vierschaar opened, the marble room where – in the Town Hall period – death sentences were handed down in front of people.

The Royal Palace Amsterdam has the largest collection of Empire furniture outside France. After his departure, Louis Napoleon left almost all expensive furniture behind. The furniture, one of the best preserved and most complete Empire collections in the world, is in full glory to be seen.

Temporary exhibitions held every summer highlight different aspects of the buildings’ history. In the autumn, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix presents the Royal Awards for Painting to talented young artists, whose work is subsequently exhibited for public viewing.

Map with list of rooms to visit.

Citizens' Hall, Royal Palace Amsterdam. Photo: W. Ruigrok.

Vroedschapskamer Royal Palace Amsterdam. Photo: W. Ruigrok

The Batavian Commissions

Flinck, Lievens, Ovens, Jordaens, Bol and Rembrandt in the Palace

From July 1 to September 18, the Royal Palace in Amsterdam organized an exhibition entitled ‘The Batavian Commissions’. At centre stage of the exhibition was a series of paintings on the Batavian Revolt, hanging in the gallery arches of the former town hall.

The construction and decoration programme of the Amsterdam Town Hall was the most prestigious artistic project in the Golden Age. The local assignment attracted artists and artisans from the Northern and Southern Netherlands, who contributed collectively toward what was considered the ‘eighth wonder of the world’. Smaller projects were also commissioned as part of the construction project, such as the series of paintings in the gallery arches of the Citizens’ Hall.

Today, the four galleries are still adorned with six large paintings by Govert Flinck, Juriaan Ovens, Jan Lievens, Jacob Jordaens and Anthony de Groot. Initially, Flinck was the only artist to be commissioned by the burgomasters of Amsterdam in 1659. The theme chosen by the burgomasters for the series was the uprising of the Batavians against Roman rule.

However, Flinck died unexpectedly in 1660 before the series was complete. In a bid to win the commission, various artists created studies of the different scenes from the Batavian Revolt. Jan Lievens, Juriaan Ovens, Rembrandt van Rijn, Ferdinand Bol and Jacob Jordaens all competed. The project came to an unfortunate end, however. Due to a shortage of money and painting issues, only six of the eight arches were eventually filled and a smaller version of Rembrandt’s painting disappeared to Sweden.

What is the story behind the paintings and the artists who competed in the project? Which paintings are hanging and which are not? How would it be if Rembrandt’s painting were also to hang in the gallery? All of these questions were addressed in the exhibition by means of preliminary studies, light projections and the completed pieces that still hang in the Amsterdam’s Royal Palace today.

An illustrated catalogue is published on occasion of this exhibition. The catalogue (Dutch / English) includes several articles about the series of paintings. The catalogue is in the palaceshop on sale for 17.00 euros.

The exhibition was a joint venture between Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg and the University of Amsterdam. The idea for the exhibition was conceived during the restoration of the paintings between 2005 and 2009. In addition to the exhibition at the Royal Palace, a presentation was given at the UvA ErfgoedLab in the summer, focusing on the recent restoration work, the new discoveries and the ethics of restoration.

The exhibition in the Royal Palace Amsterdam was opened on June 30, 2011 by H.R.H. Princess Margriet of the Netherlands.

Gallery, Royal Palace Amsterdam

Perfection in proportion

Amsterdam Town Hall and the House of Orange

Summer Exhibition: ‘Amsterdam Town Hall and the House of Orange’

The Royal Palace of Amsterdam was built in the seventeenth century as the Town Hall of Amsterdam. The prestigious Town Hall of Amsterdam, designed by Jacob van Campen, was heralded in the seventeenth century as ‘the eighth wonder of the world”. The colossal building was the largest vernacular building which had ever been constructed until then. Now, some 350 years later, the former Town Hall is a Royal Palace, and is used for official events by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. The very many highlights of the rich history of the building formed the subject of the 2005 Summer Exhibition. Wandering around the many rooms of this former Town Hall you will meet the Mayors who governed the city from this building during the seventeenth century. Then came King Louis Napoleon, the brother of the French Emperor, who transformed the building in 1808 into a Royal Palace and who furnished it with a valuable collection of Empire style furniture. The History of the House of Orange is shown from King William I through to the celebrations of the Silver Jubilee of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix, held on April 29, 2005. Short documentaries, paintings, sculptures, prints and photographs were on display in the ‘islands of time’. They reflected the past and the present in colourful images.