Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum is planning a major and controversial exhibition, to open in February, that explores the hidden past of Dutch history, including its nearly 300-year involvement with the slave trade.
In particular, the exhibit will explore the era that is often called the ‘Golden Age’ of Dutch history and power, although at least some museums are now dropping that name in light of rethinking the colonial history of the Netherlands.
That re-examination has led to the sidelining of the royal carriage, which has now-offensive images from that past on its panels, but there is by no means unanimity on how to treat the country’s past. Just earlier this year, in a debate on modern racism, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that for the country to apologize for its slavery role would be ‘too polarizing.’
Taco Dibbets, general director of the Rijksmuseum, believes the country must face its past with a clear view: “I think it is essential that it is added to the school curriculum to create a better understanding of each other and where we come from. It is part of Dutch history, and that history should be made more and more complete in school curricula.”
The exhibit, in preparation for three years, tells the story through the stories of ten individuals of the period, using the museum’s resources and a hundred objects borrowed from other institutions. The individuals include slaves, ex-slaves, wealthy industrialists and others. Resources include paintings by Rembrandt and chains and shackles used on slaves.
