Interview: Rijksmusem’s head of exhibition Tim Zeedijk

Reopened to the public on 13 April 2013, after a ten-year renovation managed by architecture firm Cruz y Ortiz and interior designer Wilmotte, the Rijksmuseum is now hosting the Dutch version of “Late Rembrandt”, the seminal show that a few months ago was exhibited in London, at the National Gallery. Tim Zedijk, Rijks’ head of exhibitions, smiles while looking at the people queuing outside the museum from the window of the restaurant where he is sitting with a group international journalists invited by the city council. He knows that the Amsterdam episode of “Late Rembrandt” is even better than the London one: the rooms are wider and the public can count on two masterpieces such as the Night Watch and the Self-portrait painted in 1628 preserved in the permanent collection, where the Late Rembrandt’s visitors will also have the opportunity to grasp the artistic context around Rembrandt. We takes the occasion of making him some questions.

 

How would you describe your job?

 

I help curators to make good choices. We receive hundreds of proposals, but only a very small part of them can be taken into consideration. And a even smaller part of the possible ones becomes real, as in the case of Late Rembrandt.

 

Which is your favourite museum?

 

It is the Prado, in Madrid. I love the display, and how the visitor is taken through the galleries. You have the clear feeling that what you see is what you get, and this is really important. People travel from all over the world to see certain museums, you can’t betray their expectations.

 

According to the results achieved by the Louvre Lens, the Islamic Art Museum in Doha, or according to the strategy adopted by some private collectors such as Hans-Adam II of Lichtenstein, it seems that decentralizing culture is becoming a global trend. What do you think about it?

 

During the ten years of closure, from 2003 to 2013, the Rijks worked a lot in this direction, organizing exhibitions all over Netherlands. For us it has been an extraordinary experience, and I think that the public response of the last two years is also a consequence of this policy.

 

Apparently another big trend is that of turning museums’ deposits public and accessible to visitors. Do you have a position in this regards?

 

I don’t think that putting everything you have on display is a good idea. What is on display should be a selection made according to a precise mission. Otherwise I see the risk of ending up with a plethora of art institutions lacking their identity, or mainly driven by the market’s interests.

 

What is the Rijksmuseum’ annual budget for acquisitions?

 

Not that much. Generally we have less than one million Euro at our disposal.

 

Have you bought anything at the TEFAF?

 

We are negotiating a work by Dutch painter Jan Asselijn.

 

Have you been to Doha?

 

Yes, we had a collaboration with them a few years ago. They are doing a very good job. I love the Museum of Islamic Art and its unique verticality.

 

What do you think about the international call that the Italian government recently opened for directing some of its main cultural institutions?

 

I think that it has been a good idea. Today international relations are extremely important for art museums, and some foreigner directors could help them indeed.

 

Will you apply for it?

 

No, I will not.

 

What will happen after Rembrandt?

 

We are looking at Asia.

March 19, 2015