On Monday, November 30, 2015, Her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands arrived at the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam to attend the 2015 Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Prijs.
The winner of the prize went to Dutch architect and creative director of Mecanoo, Ms. Francine Houben.
Photo courtesy of Zimbio
On the evening of November 28, 2015, Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands officially opened the 4th Edition of the Amsterdam Light Festival in Amsterdam.
Held under the theme, Friendship, the 55-day festival transforms Amsterdam:
“…every year into a true city of lights with the help of contemporary (inter)national light artists. During the annual festival for young and old, both the residents of Amsterdam and the city’s many visitors are treated to a spectacle of light. At the same time, the festival offers talented (young) light artists a platform to present their latest work.”
If you are interested in learning more about the Amsterdam Light Festival please click here.
Photo courtesy of RVD/HKH
On Friday, November 27, 2015, Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands opened the exhibition, Spaanse Meesters uit de Hermitage: De Wereld van El Greco, Ribera, Zurbarán, Velázquez, Murillo & Goya (Spanish Masters from the Hermitage: The World of El Greco, Ribera, Zurbarán, Velázquez, Murillo & Goya), at the Hermitage Amsterdam in Amsterdam.
The exhibition displays over sixty paintings including The Apostles Peter and Paul by El Greco, Velázquez’s Portrait of the Count Duke of Olivares, Murillo’s Immaculate Conception, and Goya’s Portrait of the Actress Antonia Zárate.
According to a press release the exhibition tells the story of the rise and glory of Spanish art in the Golden Age which began in the late sixteenth century:
“…and flourished throughout the seventeenth century, coinciding with the Dutch Golden Age. While the Netherlands was revolting against Spanish rule, Spain was developing its own artistic signature. Philip II, an absolute monarch in a society dominated by the Catholic Church, commissioned the construction of El Escorial in 1563. The enormous palace and monastery complex near Madrid was decorated by great Spanish and Italian masters. Spain’s unimaginable wealth, amassed largely during the country’s period of colonial gold fever – Spain called itself ‘the Empire on which the sun never sets’ – brought painters abundant commissions for the king, churches and private collectors. Spanish art flourished.
The works of the great Spanish painters are exceptional for their exquisite convergence of the spiritual and the theatrical. Influenced by the Italians, painters like El Greco, Ribera and Zurbarán developed a singular Spanish style marked by strong contrasts of light and dark. Their works exude the temperament and pride of the Iberian Peninsula. Murillo and in particular Velázquez, a trendsetter, added their own signature to that style and reached new heights. Goya, an equally awe-inspiring talent, followed in their footsteps with his confrontational realism. Goya is also famous for his penetrating graphic cycles and a number of his dramatic etchings are featured in the exhibition, including pieces from Los Desastres de la Guerra, depicting the horrors of the Napoleonic occupation of Spain. The artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries continued the tradition, rendering the strong contrasts in society in works that reflect both the sun-drenched Spanish culture and the dark sides of history…”
Spaanse Meesters uit de Hermitage: De Wereld van El Greco, Ribera, Zurbarán, Velázquez, Murillo & Goya will be open to the public beginning on November 28, 2015 – May 29, 2016 at the Hermitage Amsterdam.
Photo courtesy of RVD/HKH
On Friday, November 27, 2015, Her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands attended the closing session of the financial support workshops for women entitled, Kracht On Tour, held at the Fokker Terminal in Den Haag.
According to AFP News the workshops “…deal with financial independence for women and encourage women to grab more chances to use their talents on the work floor…”
Photo courtesy of Getty Images/M.Porro
On Wednesday, November 25, 2015, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, and His Royal Highness Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands attended the 2015 Erasmusprijs award ceremony held at the Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace) in Amsterdam. His Majesty is Patron of the Stichting Praemium Erasmianum (Praemium Erasmianum Foundation).
The winner of the award, worth €150,000, went to Wikipedia and the Wikipedia community for the promotion of the dissemination of knowledge through a “…comprehensive and universally accessible encyclopedia. Thus the initiators of Wikipedia have designed a new and effective democratic platform…” according to a press release.
On Monday, November 23, 2015, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands arrived at the Nationaal Militair Museum in Soest to participate in the symposium, Moed, Talent en Maatschappelijke Verdiensten (Courage, Talent and Social Merit).
Held on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Dutch Decoratiestelsel (honors system) today’s gathering was organized by the Chancellery of Dutch Order in collaboration with the Chapter of the Military Order of William and the Civil Honors Advisory Commission.
Photo courtesy of RVD/HKH
On Monday, November 23, 2015, Her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands attended the launch of De Staat van het MKB at the Malietoren in Den Haag.
An initiative of the Dutch Committee for Entrepreneurship and Finance, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) SME Netherlands, this new website is an “…independent platform, the government, industry and research institutes wants to improve the available knowledge of the MKB in the Netherlands…”
Photo courtesy of RVD/HKH
The Royal Correspondent 