Rijksmuseum and Museo Nacional del Prado Launch Landmark Partnership on Women in Art and History
Publication date: 30 September 2026 - 07:32
The Rijksmuseum and the Museo Nacional del Prado announce an in-depth research partnership focusing on women in art and history. This collaboration builds on the long-standing commitment of both museums to increase the representation of women in their collections on a permanent basis. By joining forces, the museums will contribute through new research to a richer and more inclusive understanding of the shared Dutch and Spanish history. The museums will develop an international fellowship programme for postdoctoral researchers and an exhibition in the Rijksmuseum on female leadership in the Habsburg Netherlands in the 16th century.
Partnership
The collaboration brings together several strands, such as the organisation of expert meetings, a fellowship programme, and an exhibition in the Rijksmuseum. The fellowship programme, which starts in September 2027, will focus on research into the role, governance and representation of women in the Habsburg Empire, with particular emphasis on the shared aspects of the Dutch and Spanish contexts. The fellow will have the opportunity to conduct extensive research in the collections of the Museo Nacional del Prado and the Rijksmuseum, as well as to contribute to the exhibition projects developed as part of this collaboration. Recruitment will begin in October 2026.
El Prado en Femenino
Originally conceived as a research project, ‘El Prado en femenino’ is now a permanent, transversal initiative at the Prado Museum that highlights women as artists, promoters and key figures within its collections. Its nine areas of activity include research, documentation, exhibitions, publications, audiovisuals, education, digital development, communication and international collaboration.
Exhibitions and itineraries have brought to light the legacies of Clara Peeters, Sofonisba Anguissola, Isabel Clara Eugenia, Christina of Sweden and Isabella Farnese. A documentary series and three book collections expand on these stories; symposia and lectures promote their study. Digital resources, concerts, courses for teachers and public talks bring the findings to a wide range of audiences. This autumn, the Prado will open an exhibition dedicated to Mariana of Austria, which will illustrate the creation and evolution of the queen’s image throughout her life and reign, and will reveal how that image was promoted and disseminated during one of the most decisive moments in the history of the Spanish Monarchy.
Women of the Rijksmuseum
An interdisciplinary team has been working since 2021 to increase the visibility of women in the in the Rijksmuseum. Results include the symposium series Women in the Museum and exhibitions such as Point of View: A Gender Perspective on the Collection . In addition, the museum has acquired works by Gesina ter Borch, Maria van Oosterwijck, Marlow Moss and other women artists. Since the start of the project, studies have been carried out on more than 450 objects. In the coming years, ongoing research and public activities will be complemented by a focus on collaboration and knowledge exchange, including as with the Museo Nacional del Prado.
Exhibition at the Rijksmuseum
An exhibition resulting from the collaboration with Museo Nacional del Prado is scheduled in the Rijksmuseum for 2029. It will highlight the impact, public perception and role of art during the reigns of Margaret of Austria, Mary of Hungary and Margaret of Parma—their combined periods of governance of the Netherlands, which was part of the Habsburg Empire at the time, spanned almost 60 years in the 16th century.
Thanks
Women of the Rijksmuseum is made possible in part by CHANEL, the Susi Zijderveld Fund, the Familie Krouwels Fund, the Machteld Vos & Willem Sijthoff Fund, the Heleen Dura-van Oord Fund, the Kind Courage Monique Maarsen Fund, the Familie Staal Fund, the Karin van Leeuwen Fund, the Dreesmann-Beerkens Fund, the Sofronie Foundation, the Linne and Marijn Pijnenborg Fund, the Jolanda Degen Fund, the Lara Timmerman Fund, the Antoinette Rolloos Hueber Fund, the Hendrikje Crebolder Fund, Amy Novogratz and Mike Velings, the Femke Dijkhuis Fund, the Bianca van Galen Fund, the Haboldt-Pianetti Fund, Jenny Reynaerts, the Sandra Swelheim Fund, and the Women of the Rijksmuseum Fund.
