The New Mauritshuis
Ever since its closing in April 2012, I couldn’t wait to visit the new and improved Mauritshuis. For over two years I followed the rumors about the grand new entrance, new logo and entirely new identity as well as the redesigned interior. Shortly before the grand reopening, the Mauritshuis reappeared on social media and the new logo was introduced to the anticipating public.
The grand reopening was spectacular. Thousands of excited visitors poured through the new entrance to see the splendid collection. I wasn’t one of the visitors. For some strange reason I was overpowered by fear that ‘my Mauritshuis’ — the intimate, inviting and warm home of a small but remarkable collection somehow got lost in the renovation. I wanted to preserve the memory of the old Mauritshuis as long as I possibly could before my curiosity took the better of me.
My decision was sudden and impulsive. I didn’t even notice that I was too early, and seeing the closed museum almost made me turn back and leave. I’m glad I didn’t. The early hour didn’t discourage the visitors and the museum was quite full. I looked around as I walked down the stairs and was amazed by the lavish and rich interior. Huge vases with beautiful flower arrangements decorated the entrance and large screens showing highlight from the collection were a clear sign that this was indeed the new Mauritshuis.
It seemed that everyone around me had their camera phones out and were taking pictures of the masterpieces. The guards didn’t seem to mind so I did the same. On the first floor I felt like I saw a good friend who was on the cover of my newly bought “German Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1350–1600".
As I walked through the museum I couldn’t help noticing that despite the new feel of the place — the lavish decor, fast internet connection, lovely grandmas and grandpas taking photos with their camera phones and iPads — the cosy feeling of the museum and its inviting atmosphere remained intact. The small and beautiful collection is not overshadowed by the redesigned interior. It feels just right.
When I explored the collection and made sure that everything was in its right place, it was time to visit the gift shop. I love gift shops. Some museums truly excel when it comes to merchandise. When the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam had its great reopening, everyone talked about the logo, the beautiful interior, the collection etc., while I couldn’t stop talking about the gift shop — or the bookshop. The Rijksmuseum reclaimed its title as one of the greatest collections of the 17th century Dutch art, and now they had the books to prove it. It seems that almost every publication concerning the collection was present on the shelves. I spent nearly an hour admiring books that I previously saw online. I bought rare as well as new publications and enjoyed immensely the celebration of the Dutch Golden Age.
The Mauritshuis has a lovely small gift shop where you can find jewelry behind glass showcases, postcards, the Girl with the Pearl Earring on literally everything, Delft Blue, Dick Bruna’s Miffi (or Ninjntje) and the book about the renovation of the Mauritshuis. I was expecting a smaller version of the Rijksmuseum’s bookshop in combination with the Vermeer Centrum in Delft, but perhaps it might be better to spread the joy between several locations.
