University of Groningen and Rijksmuseum launch new chair ‘Museums, heritage and religion’

The University of Groningen and the Rijksmuseum are going to collaborate. The national institutions are establishing a new special chair dedicated to museums, heritage and religion. Dr Valika Smeulders, head of the History Department at the Rijksmuseum, will hold the chair as professor by special appointment from 1 October 2024.

The new chair in ‘Museums, heritage and religion’, part of Groningen's Faculty of Religion, Culture and Society , focuses on bringing together knowledge surrounding the Rijksmuseum's collection and heritage passed on from generation to generation by society at large.

In recent years, much attention has been paid to parts of history that have long been underexposed, such as colonial history, the contribution of women to society, art and science, and the provenance history of museum collections. With the chair, the University of Groningen and the Rijksmuseum want to involve a larger area and more people in researching and presenting specific parts of history, and how they relate to each other.

Valika Smeulders: ‘Our image of the Netherlands and the world is becoming more and more extensive, and this also raises new questions. About a broad representation of class, the relationship between city and region, and about the role of religion in how we look at ourselves. These developments in contemporary practice are anchored academically with this chair that I will be proud to hold.'

Taco Dibbits, chief director Rijksmuseum: ‘The Rijksmuseum is delighted with this innovative expansion in our collaborations. In the museum building and in the collection, culture, society and religion go hand in hand. With this chair and the appointment of special professor Valika Smeulders, we will now take a fresh look at this.'

Jouke de Vries, chairman of the Board of Governors of the University of Groningen: ‘The University of Groningen has a long tradition of thinking about heritage, both intangible and material. With this collaboration, this now includes work around the most famous collection in the Netherlands.'