Latest news with #EppoBruins
Associated Press
27-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Pair of portraits by Dutch master Frans Hals return to the Netherlands
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A pair of paintings by Dutch Golden Age master Frans Hals that possibly depict his own children are returning to the Netherlands after more than a century overseas in the hands of private owners. 'Boy Playing the Violin' and 'Girl Singing,' were bought Monday at auction for $7.8 million by the Frans Hals Museum and the Mauritshuis museum, with financial support from the Dutch government and a group of foundations. Painted around 1628, the works are seen as especially interesting because, according to the museums, Hals may have used his own children as models. The Dutch government sees them as an important part of the country's cultural heritage. ''It's fantastic that these paintings by Frans Hals, which were owned by a private collector abroad, are now home again', Dutch Culture Minister Eppo Bruins said Tuesday in a statement. Last year, Amsterdam's Rijksmueum hosted a major exhibition of the works of Hals, who is famous for depicting his subjects in a lively and expressive manner. He spent nearly all of his life just outside of Amsterdam, in the small city of Haarlem. The Frans Hals Museum, located in Haarlem, has the largest collection of the artist's work in the world and will share ownership of the painting with the Mauritshuis, in The Hague. The museums will alternate showing the works, but will always keep the two together. The paintings will be on display from mid-July at the Frans Hals Museum and will move to Mauritshuis in the fall. A joint custody agreement for artwork is not new to the Netherlands. In 2015, the Netherlands and France jointly bought a pair of works by another 17th century Dutch master, Rembrandt van Rijn, and swap the paintings every five years. The life-sized portraits of newlyweds Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit were first on display at the Rijksmueum and moved to the Louvre in Paris last year.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Pair of portraits by Dutch master Frans Hals return to the Netherlands
A pair of paintings by Dutch Golden Age master Frans Hals that possibly depict his own children are returning to the Netherlands after more than a century overseas in the hands of private owners. 'Boy Playing the Violin' and 'Girl Singing,' were bought Monday at auction for $7.8 million by the Frans Hals Museum and the Mauritshuis museum, with financial support from the Dutch government and a group of foundations. Painted around 1628, the works are seen as especially interesting because, according to the museums, Hals may have used his own children as models. The Dutch government sees them as an important part of the country's cultural heritage. ''It's fantastic that these paintings by Frans Hals, which were owned by a private collector abroad, are now home again', Dutch Culture Minister Eppo Bruins said Tuesday in a statement. Last year, Amsterdam's Rijksmueum hosted a major exhibition of the works of Hals, who is famous for depicting his subjects in a lively and expressive manner. He spent nearly all of his life just outside of Amsterdam, in the small city of Haarlem. The Frans Hals Museum, located in Haarlem, has the largest collection of the artist's work in the world and will share ownership of the painting with the Mauritshuis, in The Hague. The museums will alternate showing the works, but will always keep the two together. The paintings will be on display from mid-July at the Frans Hals Museum and will move to Mauritshuis in the fall. A joint custody agreement for artwork is not new to the Netherlands. In 2015, the Netherlands and France jointly bought a pair of works by another 17th century Dutch master, Rembrandt van Rijn, and swap the paintings every five years. The life-sized portraits of newlyweds Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit were first on display at the Rijksmueum and moved to the Louvre in Paris last year.
Reuters
20-03-2025
- Science
- Reuters
Netherlands creates fund to attract top foreign scientists
AMSTERDAM, March 20 (Reuters) - The Netherlands is setting up a fund to attract top foreign scientists to the Netherlands, Education Minister Eppo Bruins said in a letter to parliament on Thursday. Bruins did not give a timeline but said the fund should be operational as soon as possible. The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here. "There is currently a great global demand for international top scientific talent. At the same time, the geopolitical climate is changing, which is currently increasing the international mobility of scientists," Bruins wrote.
Express Tribune
22-02-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
Netherlands to return 119 Benin bronzes to Nigeria after 130 years
Listen to article The Netherlands will return 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, nearly 130 years after they were looted by British soldiers and later sold to the Dutch. "This restitution helps address a historical injustice that continues to have an impact today," said Eppo Bruins, the Dutch minister of education, culture, and science, who approved the decision following Nigeria's request for their return. The largest collection being repatriated consists of 113 artifacts, including plaques, personal ornaments, and figures. Additionally, the Dutch city of Rotterdam will return six more items: a bell, three relief plaques, a coconut casing, and a staff. "Cultural heritage is vital for preserving and understanding a nation's history. Photo: Wereldmuseum The Benin Bronzes are an essential part of Nigeria's heritage, and it is right that they are going back," Bruins added. Photo: National Museum of African Art Originally taken from the Kingdom of Benin during a British raid in 1897, the artifacts were later sold and eventually acquired by the Dutch government. The decision to return them is part of a global movement to address the restitution of cultural treasures looted during colonial rule. Photo: Wereldmuseum The Netherlands has now repatriated looted artifacts five times, following extensive research into their origins. The government is also reviewing requests from Sri Lanka, India, and Indonesia for the return of their cultural assets. Photo: Wereldmuseum "We appreciate the Netherlands' cooperation and hope this sets a positive example for other nations to repatriate lost or looted antiquities," said Olugbile Holloway, director-general of the Nigerian National Commission for Museums andMonuments.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
British Museum under pressure after Netherlands hands back Benin Bronzes
The British Museum has come under fresh pressure to hand over its Benin Bronzes after the Netherlands returned more than 100 of the artefacts to Nigeria. Eppo Bruins, the Dutch culture minister, said that the bronzes – looted and then sold off after a 1897 British military raid on Benin City, the capital of the historical kingdom of Benin – were 'indispensable to Nigeria'. Nigeria responded by saying it hoped that the Dutch decision would serve as a 'good example'. Britain has long faced calls to return Benin Bronzes held by its museums, and the Horniman Museum, University of Cambridge, and the University of Oxford have all sought to return their collections. However, the British Museum is bound by law not to give away objects in its own collection. On Wednesday, the Netherlands said that it would return 119 artefacts, comprising 113 bronzes that are part of the Dutch state collection, and the remainder from the municipality of Rotterdam. A statement from the Dutch embassy in Abuja said: 'The Netherlands is returning the Benin Bronzes unconditionally, recognising that the objects were looted during the British attack on Benin City in 1897, and should have never ended up in the Netherlands.' Mr Bruins added: 'This restitution contributes to redressing a historical injustice that is still being felt today. Cultural heritage is essential for telling and living the history of a country and a community. 'The Benin Bronzes are indispensable to Nigeria. It is good that they are going back.' The historical kingdom of Benin is now part of Nigeria's Edo state. Olugible Holloway, the director general of the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments, said the Dutch return would be the biggest single repatriation of Benin antiquities linked to the 1897 British expedition. He said: 'We thank the Netherlands for their cooperation and hope this will set a good example for other nations of the world in terms of repatriation of lost or looted antiquities.' British forces captured Benin in 1897 and looted 900 brass relief plaques, probably dating between from 1500 to the mid-1600s, according to the British Museum. The plaques decorated pillars in the ruler's palace compounds, and depicted court life and ritual, as well as successful military campaigns. The British Museum currently holds more than 900 objects from the historical kingdom of Benin. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
