Welcome International Friends!
Friends are indispensable to the Mauritshuis. For more than 30 years, the Friends of the Mauritshuis have supported us with contributions for purchases and exhibitions.
The support of our Friends has enabled us to add important works to our collection. Our Friends also contribute to the realisation of our exhibitions. We organise many lectures, excursions, openings and other activities as an expression of our gratitude.
Becoming an International Friend
For the large international community in The Hague and beyond that wished to become more involved in the Mauritshuis we set up an international group of friends with an English-language program: The International Friends.
Joining the Mauritshuis as an International Friend offers the chance to become a member of an international culture-loving community of English speakers in The Hague and beyond. You will enjoy many benefits, as well as being a member of an active group of people with a shared enthusiasm for art. The Mauritshuis organises special events for its International Friends in English.
10 November: Behind the Scenes at the Venduehuis
The International Friends of the Mauritshuis are delighted to invite you to a behind-the-scenes talk and visit at the Venduehuis, The Hague’s premier auction house. The event will be hosted in English.
The Venduehuis has enjoyed a close association with the Mauritshuis, its most famous link going back to 1881 when the world-famous Girl with a Pearl Earring was purchased at auction for two guilders. The buyer, Meneer des Tombe, bequeathed the painting to the Mauritshuis after his death in 1902.
Valuation and painting experts from the Venduehuis will talk about the logistics of coordinating art auctions, appraising artworks and setting reserve prices, as well as the ins and outs of bidding at online and in-person auctions. On arrival, attendees will be invited to participate in a mock bidding for a secret auction. All the details will be revealed on the day. Following the talk, attendees can visit the showrooms for the preview of the upcoming Venduehuis auction, ‘Old Masters, Nineteenth Century and Early Modern Art’, which will take place on 14 November.
14:00 Arrive, tea/coffee and cake served in Silver Room (upstairs)
14:30 Talk by Venduehuis art experts
15:30 Visit to showrooms (downstairs)
The visit will take place at Venduehuis, Nobelstraat 5, in the centre of The Hague, which is easily reached via public transport (trams #1 and #17) or parking at Q-Park Torengarage.
The cost to attend, including tea/coffee and cake, will be €10 for Friends and €15 for guests. To reserve places for the Venduehuis Visit, please email internationalfriends@mauritshuis.nl by Monday 6 November with the names of the people for whom you wish to reserve places. Confirmation details will be sent to you along with payment information.
History of the Friends Foundation
The Johan Maurits van Nassau Foundation was established in 1957. The aim of this foundation was to support the museum in expanding the collection and realising exhibitions and publications. The foundation also acquired paintings and presented them to the museum on permanent loan.
In 1982, a second foundation was established with the aim of active fund raising: the Foundation Friends of the Mauritshuis. The two foundations merged in 1986, and a major campaign was held to recruit volunteers, friends and donors. One of the primary objectives was still to support the museum in the purchase of paintings.
The volunteer organisation was founded in 1987. This organisation performed (and continues to provide) a wide range of services. This includes offering tours, and staffing the shop and information desk. The money generated by those activities are for the benefit of the foundation. The Mauritshuis volunteer organisation is one of the oldest in Dutch museums and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012.
In 2014, we expanded the ‘friend’ levels with 'De Companen'. We also set up an international group of friends with an English-language program. This was done to accommodate the wishes of the large international community in The Hague that wished to become more involved in the Mauritshuis.
