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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

Photo: Joep Jacobs

Rembrandts four senses - His first paintings

20 January until 16 June 2024

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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Kimsooja, Cities on the Move - 2727km Bottari Truck (Artist Facing Mountain), 1997
Photo: Andor Kranenburg/3 October Vereeniging

450 Years' Worth of Festive Processions

September 2024 until 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.

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150 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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Activities

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.

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Night 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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Photo: Simone Both

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Lees alles over onze geschiedenis

Waar komt het lakenloodje vandaan en waarom heet Museum De Lakenhal zo? En welke reis heeft Het Laatste Oordeel afgelegd voor het in het museum kwam? Dat en meer lees je in de geschiedenis van Museum De Lakenhal, de collectie en het gebouw.