In 2023 it is 125 years since Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) was born. Escher is a celebrated artist, but this would not have been the case had it not been for his mentor and good friend Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita (1868-1944). The striking work of De Mesquita hangs alongside that of his most famous pupil at Escher in The Palace.
This week, a long-concealed self-portrait of Rembrandt is set to return to The Hague. From Tuesday 29 November onwards, it will be on display in Escher in The Palace, which was home to it from 1850 to 1894, when the palace belonged successively to Prince Hendrik of the Netherlands and his sister Great Duchess Sophie. The painting has not been seen in the Netherlands since 1898 – for nearly 125 years – and has not even been on public display since 1967.
Escher in The Palace is set to host a royal encounter this autumn. The work of 10 artists based in The Hague will be on display as part of the Royal Encounters exhibition, a dialogue between tradition and experimentation, between past and present. Escher in The Palace invited the artists to produce new graphic work, drawing inspiration from Lange Voorhout Palace and its principal resident, Queen Emma, the Queen Mother.
During Art The Hague Escher in the Palace is showing two sculptures by Hans van Bentem, an artist who is inextricably linked to the museum. Since it opened, its rooms have been graced by his huge chandeliers in a whole range of forms, including a skull, a bomb and a spider. The glittering crystal enhances the majestic feel of the palace, and lightheartedly reflect the fantasy element in the work of Escher.
Escher in The Palace will be looking in the mirror of M.C. Escher this summer. Escher’s world is a mirrored world – a game of repetition and reflection, looking and being amazed. His self-portraits in convex mirrors show the graphic artist himself in just such an alternative world. The reflections in natural scenes or small Italian streets betray Escher's love of the possibilities that reflections bring. This summer, you will experience Escher's fascination with reflections in Escher in The Palace. A fascination that continues to grip contemporary artists to this day.