★★★★★ from the big Dutch newspapers
"This show's span is impressive. [...] Every bird [...] has its story. They run the gamut from the sublime to the ridiculous." - The Times
Birds - we can’t imagine life without them. To us, birds symbolise freedom, beauty and love. But birds are also pets, a source of food or hunting trophies. The exhibition BIRDS - Curated by The Goldfinch & Simon Schama dove into our enduring relationship with these creatures that we love, yet keep in cages. What does our relationship with birds tell us about how we treat the natural world?
Carel Fabritius’ 1654 painting The Goldfinch and British (art) historian Simon Schama brought birds from around the world to the Mauritshuis. We reflect on our relationship with birds through works by Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Tracey Emin, Iris van Herpen and many other artists.
Pet, food or trophy?
The exhibition BIRDS explores our fascination with birds through seven different themes: from birds as pets to spiritual messengers. BIRDS features a dazzling collection of historical and contemporary art – paintings, drawings, natural history and fashion accessories, and an audiovisual installation. From one of the oldest sentences in Dutch history (“Hebban olla vogala”… etc.) to a feather costume from Angola and a sculpture by Brancusi that reduces “flight” to its very essence. Spot the most remarkable and colourful birds in the arts, and discover the stories behind them.
Birdspotcast at BIRDS
Birdwatching at the Mauritshuis? Art expert Gisbert van Baalen and his friend and birdwatcher Arjan Dwarshuis of the Birdspotcast have created a special audio tour that you can listen to for free.
Would you like a sneak preview? Listen to the episode of the Vogelspotcast at the Mauritshuis.
Mauritshuis x Vogelbescherming
Inspired by the exhibition’s curator and Carel Fabritius’s iconic Goldfinch, we’re working together with Vogelbescherming Nederland to bring more goldfinches to your neighbourhood! After all, the number of birds says a lot about the state of nature. The more there are, the greener and healthier your surroundings.
This Spring, every visitor to the BIRDS exhibition will receive a free bag of "Putter Mix"(tr. Goldfinch Mix). This organic flower seed mix helps create space for more birds, flowers, and insects - right in your garden or on your balcony. Sow the seeds and turn your neighbourhood into a true goldfinch paradise!
Co-curators: The Goldfinch and Simon Schama
The Goldfinch, one of the best-loved paintings in the Mauritshuis, is the exhibition’s extraordinary host. But even he needed a little help. And he got it from none other than the renowned art historian Simon Schama, the exhibition’s guest curator. He also recorded the audio tour, leading you through the exhibition from an art-historical perspective.
In his 2023 book, Foreign Bodies, Schama explored the boundary and interconnectedness between humanity and nature. Martine Gosselink, director of the Mauritshuis, on the collaboration: “When I read Simon’s book, I was shocked by the dismal statistics and examples of where we, as humans and nature, now stand. I thought: if we don’t turn the tide now, what will our future look like? I was determined that the museum should offer a counter-narrative. With BIRDS, we focus attention on these winged creatures, and help to promote awareness of the importance of biodiversity on our planet.”
The book BIRDS - The Goldfinch, Birds, Art and Us
Simon Schama and Martine Gosselink wrote an evocative book entitled BIRDS - The Goldfinch, Birds, Art and Us. Read Simon and Martine’s reflections, in-depth information about the exhibition and text contributions by a variety of co-authors. The book also includes excerpts from fairy tales, fables, short stories, and poems. From Antiquity to the present day, from China and Suriname and all countries in between.
