Exhibiting colonialism
From propaganda to critique
From its opening in 1885, the Rijksmuseum’s exhibition of objects collected in the Dutch colonies formed part of a nationalistic narrative that encouraged visitors to take pride in Dutch colonialism. The meaning and value of these objects for communities in Indonesia, for example, were given no consideration at this time. This one-sided narrative surrounding Dutch colonial history persisted for many years, with no mention given to colonialism’s disruptive consequences for individuals and communities in Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean, or of the violence, oppression and denial of rights inflicted by the Netherlands.
Some change began to take place from the 1960s onward, as exhibitions on Dutch history and colonialism became less nationalistic, with the Rijksmuseum seeking to adopt a more critical perspective on the phenomenon.
Monument to colonial victory
The placement of the Atjeh Monument in the Rijksmuseum’s east courtyard – from the museum’s opening in 1885 until 1930 – reflects how Dutch colonialism was once celebrated.
This plaster sculpture of a winged female figure holding a laurel wreath served as a tribute to the Dutch soldiers who had fallen in the colonial war in Aceh, North Sumatra and Indonesia. Translated, the inscription on the pedestal reads: ‘The forces of land and sea gloriously upheld the honour of the nation.’ Until 1930, the statue towered above a display of weapons and flags intended to convey nationalistic pride in the Netherlands military forces.
The ‘Lombok treasure’
In 1898, the Rijksmuseum exhibited the so-called ‘Lombok treasure’, comprising gold artworks, everyday objects, as well as coins, gemstones and jewellery that had been seized in 1894 by the Dutch Colonial Army (KNIL) from the Mataram-Cakranegara principality on the Indonesian island of Lombok. The looting of these treasures occurred during a devastating war in which the Dutch forces killed thousands of men, women and children on Lombok. The Rijksmuseum presented the objects as a collection of art treasures, with no mention of the story of plunder and colonial violence. In 1937, the objects were transferred to the then National Museum of Ethnology (now Wereldmuseum) in Leiden.
When the Rijksmuseum reopened in 2013 after a decade-long renovation, the decision was taken to present these objects as looted art, to highlight the fact that part of the museum’s collection is connected to colonial violence. Following a restitution request (subsequent to an earlier restitution, in 1977), this group of objects was returned to Indonesia in 2023.
Temporary art installation in 2022
Luka dan Bisa Kubawa Berlari (‘Wounds and Venom I Carry as I am Running’) is an installation by visual artist Timoteus Anggawan Kusno (b. 1989) that was commissioned by the Rijksmuseum. This large piece formed part of the Rijksmuseum’s 2022 exhibition Revolusi! Indonesia Independent. The installation incorporated flags looted from Indonesia by Dutch colonial forces that have been part of the Rijksmuseum collection since 1889. The soundscape comprised audio recordings of the Qur’anic texts that had originally been sewn onto strips of fabric on the flags. In this context, the flags were presented not only as war booty but first and foremost as symbols of anti-colonial resistance and as objects with Islamic significance.
Asian Pavilion
The Rijksmuseum has housed a museum of Asian art since 1952, displaying objects from across Asia, from a collection that was largely assembled by the Royal Asian Art Society in the Netherlands. This association was founded in 1918 to promote knowledge of the arts of Asia. The association’s collection has focused on assembling a select number of highlights of Asian art. Since the reopening of the museum in 2013, the collection has been housed in an added extension: the Asian Pavilion.
