This is the second meeting of a new series of bi-monthly Seminars in Global Art History and Heritage. This seminar is a cooperation of the NWO-Vidi project “The Chinese Impact” at Utrecht University, Leiden University, and University College Utrecht. It is organized by Mary Bouquet (UCU), Stijn Bussels (LU), and Thijs Weststeijn (UU).

Since its reopening in 2013, after ten years of closure, the Rijksmuseum has been considering how to tell colonial history through objects. In the new presentation of the main building, historical and art historical objects were mixed for the first time, together telling one story of the Netherlands. Although this works really well in many respects, it also brought up a couple of problems. For example, what story or whose story of the Netherlands are we telling? How can we fit in multi-perspective histories in a label of 60 words? How can we let voices speak that have been silenced in the past, while using collections that never involved these voices to begin with? Maria Holtrop, curator in the history department, will reflect on these questions in her lecture on the (im)possibilities of showing colonial history in the Rijksmuseum.

Time and place: Wednesday, February 6, 17h-18hrs, Vossius Zaal, Leiden University Library
Seating is limited, so please confirm your attendance with Stijn Bussels: s.p.m.bussels@hum.leidenuniv.nl