‘I think it’s our duty as a museum to address social issues, whether they’re in the past, or whether they’re happening now, because we have a societal role. We’re here for society… Art is about people. It’s about working together. It’s about how we look at each other, how we understand the world, and how we open our minds to what is unfamiliar. That’s what a museum should do.’
—Lidewij de Koekkoek
For the twentieth episode of Dutch Art & Design Today, I sat down with Lidewij de Koekkoek, who is the director of the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem. Lidewij has had a long and storied career in the Dutch cultural heritage world, shaped by her international upbringing in Belgium and the United States, her art historical studies at Leiden University, and a leadership style grounded in collaboration, curiosity, and care. From her early role in journalism and public art to senior roles at institutions including the Netherlands Architecture Institute, the Textile Museum in Tilburg, and the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam, Lidewij has built a career at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, and public value of the arts.
In this hour long conversation, we trace Lidewij’s path through the Dutch cultural landscape—from the formative years of studying contemporary art and architecture through, to her later rediscovery of seventeenth-century painting, and deep belief in the relevance of historical collections today. Her career is marked by several directorial roles at Dutch museums, which have all informed her current outlook on what it means to be a museum director. We talk about her first directorship at the Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar, where she led a bold rebranding focused on the city’s Old Masters and modern art collections, and how both could be utilized to better communicate the importance of the city’s collection to the city’s citizens and their civic heritage. Alongside her time as director of the Rembrandt House in Amsterdam, where she helped reposition the museum around his studio, social networks, and contemporary relevance.
Finally, we discuss her current role at the Frans Hals Museum, and how its unique bifocal identity—combining a world-class collection of early modern painting with a cutting-edge contemporary programming and collection of works—makes it a deeply human institution. But also one with challenges due to its current location, and the limited amount of space it currently allows, even as its ambitions its current capacity, in terms of displaying the vastness of its collection. Ultimately, Lidewij makes clear that she sees the museum’s future as grounded in Haarlem, its civic pride, and the power of visual art to reflect and reshape society. From leadership philosophy to renovation plans, and from drag performances to Dutch Impressionism, this wide-ranging conversation explores what it means to shape a museum’s future—while staying anchored in its past.
Learn more about the Frans Hals Museum.
Cover: Esiri Erheriene-Essi, Having Your Cake and Eating it Too, 2019, 200 x 165 cm., oil, ink and xerox transfer on linen, Frans Hals Museum, Acquired in 2024
You can find John on X @johnbezold and at his website johnbezold.com.
'Dutch Art & Design Today' is published by Semicolon-Press.
ISSN: 3050-6662
