Restored, refreshed and sporting a new coat of paint, the Mauritshuis, The Royal Picture Gallery in The Hague, is open again to the public and ready to showcase outstanding examples of Dutch Golden Age painting. The museum and its celebrated collection reopen their doors to visitors on June 27, with free admission from 8 p.m. until midnight on the reopening day. Renovations to the 17th-century building have nearly doubled exhibition space and introduced a new entrance at the front courtyard, a relocated museum shop and café, and an underground lobby that connects the museum to the adjacent city palace.
Accessibility has been improved with enhanced facilities for visitors with disabilities, and the renovation also added several new spaces, including The Art Workshop, additional exhibition rooms, updated offices and commercial rental areas. These changes aim to preserve the historic character of the building while improving visitor experience and flexibility for exhibitions and public programs.
The museum’s extensive collection, owned by the Dutch state, features masterpieces spanning centuries of Dutch art. Highlights that draw visitors from around the world include Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and View of Delft, Rembrandt’s The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp and his Self-portrait, and Paulus Potter’s The Bull. The collection also contains emblematic still lifes and floral works such as Vase with Flowers in a Window by Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, and Carel Fabritius’s intimate The Goldfinch.
Recent acquisitions have broadened the collection further, with works like Paul Brill’s Mountainous Landscape with Saint Jerome and Clara Peeters’s Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds and Pretzels joining the holdings. Together these paintings offer a rich panorama of techniques, subjects and regional styles from the Dutch Golden Age, making the Mauritshuis a vital destination for anyone interested in European art history.
Visitors can expect improved circulation throughout the museum, clearer signage, and dedicated spaces for education and hands-on activities, including programs at The Art Workshop designed for families and schools. The new layout also makes it easier for curators to stage temporary exhibitions and special projects alongside the museum’s permanent collection.
Whether you come to see famous individual works or to explore the broader sweep of Dutch painting, the reopened Mauritshuis offers a refreshed setting to experience these masterpieces. The combination of renovated facilities, increased exhibition space and continued care for its historic collection ensures the museum will remain a cultural highlight in The Hague.
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