11 August - 11 November 2007




Rijksmuseum in The Nieuwe Kerk

The Amsterdam Rijksmuseum and the Nieuwe Kerk church is jointly presenting the exhibition 'HERO' in the Nieuwe Kerk church in Amsterdam. The occasion for the HERO exhibition is the commemoration of the 400th birthday of one of the greatest heroes in Dutch history: Michiel de Ruyter.

The exhibition focuses on heroes, hero status and hero worship in the Netherlands, under the motto 'no worship, no hero’. Isn’t it better not to stand out in the Netherlands? The exhibition demonstrates that – despite this belief – the Netherlands has had and still has genuine heroes, highlighting official heroes, folk heroes, controversial heroes and personal heroes. There are famous and unsung heroes, forgotten and fallen heroes, dead and living heroes, male and female heroes, saints and idols, historical and contemporary heroes.

HERO also presents different forms of hero worship: entrance ceremonies, funerals, personal relics as souvenirs of heroes, merchandise and propaganda, statues and portraits, fan collections, distinctions and awards. This exhibition includes a wide array of objects, including paintings and drawings, television and film clips, official monuments and children’s books, stamps and treasured mementoes of our own heroes.

HERO represents the second joint project between the Rijksmuseum and the Nieuwe Kerk church with identity as the central theme. Last year, they collaborated to present Fashion DNA.

The exhibition will be divided into five main themes: National Hero, Folk Hero, Hero or Not, Personal Hero and Michiel de Ruyter. The last theme will look at how De Ruyter is worshipped as a hero, the presentation of which will be located near his gravestone in the Nieuwe Kerk church.

HERO offers the Nieuwe Kerk church, which houses Michiel de Ruyter’s tomb, the opportunity to again fulfil its 17th-century function as a pantheon of heroes.

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De Nieuwe Kerk
Dam Square
Amsterdam
Netherlands
TEL : +31. (0) 20-638 69 09
mail@nieuwekerk.nl
www.nieuwekerk.nl