The exhibition about the painter Jan van Goyen and his view of The Hague from the Hague Historical Museum is back in the Atrium City Hall and can be viewed in front of the entrance to the Study Room of the Hague Municipal Archives.

Landscape Painter
Jan van Goyen is one of the most famous landscape painters of the 17th century. His paintings hang in the world’s major museums, but his largest painting – View of The Hague – has always been on display in The Hague. With swift brushstrokes and subtle colors, Jan van Goyen perfectly captured the atmosphere of the Dutch landscape. This made him a celebrity even in his own time. In October, an exhibition in the Atrium will explore the life of this prolific painter, his family, his role in the Hague artists’ guild, as well as his risky tulip trade and house speculation. The exhibition brings Jan van Goyen to life, as well as The Hague around 1650.

The panoramic View of The Hague from 1651 plays a central role in the story. Who commissioned it? What inspired this enormous painting, and where did it originally hang? And above all: what does it depict? From windmills, boats, and dignified people to farmers in the fields and the Hague stork in the center – every detail tells us something about life in Holland in the 17th century.

The Hague Historical Museum is temporarily closed for a major renovation. The monumental city palace is being renovated, expanded, and made more accessible. Parts of the collection can be seen at various locations in The Hague. Since early 2025, the masterpiece from the Hague Historical Museum’s collection has been on display in the Atrium: the monumental painting View of The Hague by Jan van Goyen. This landscape painting is an impressive 4.6 meters wide.

For more information about The Hague Historical Museum, go to haagshistorischmuseum.nl.