Icons – Topstukken uit de National Portrait Gallery
Fries Museum, Leeuwarden
11 September 2021 – 9 January 2022
Group exhibition
Natasja Kensmil (Amsterdam, 1973) has been commissioned by the Fries Museum to create a new work for the exhibition Icons. The exhibition examines the complex and fascinating genre of portrait art through nearly one hundred masterpieces. Kensmil has been invited to produce a new piece inspired by a group portrait of Frisian stadtholders and their servants from the Fries Museum collection. The work will be on display from September 11 in Icons: Masterpieces from the National Portrait Gallery.
oil on canvas
6 parts, total 320 x 290 cm
Over the past year, the Fries Museum has faced questions regarding a group portrait from the donation by King William III. The portrait, painted by Pieter Nason around 1662–1670 and located in the paneling of the former Stadhouderlijke Hof, depicts four powerful counts from the houses of Nassau-Dietz and Nassau-Siegen. The counts are flanked by three unnamed young servants from their households. The presence of the Black page at the center of the painting has raised legitimate questions. While the counts are identified by name—Frederik van Nassau-Dietz (1613–1664) even in red letters, likely because he commissioned the portrait—their servants remain unidentified. The Fries Museum has commissioned Natasja Kensmil to create a new artwork reflecting on this portrait. Kensmil, whose work explores how historical figures and power dynamics resonate in the present, is an ideal fit for the Icons exhibition. This commission also contributes to a broader perspective on the museum’s portrait collection in the long term.
The exhibition Icons: Masterpieces from the National Portrait Gallery will feature paintings, photographs, sculptures, prints, and drawings by renowned artists worldwide, including Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Andy Warhol, and Marlene Dumas. Among the portrayed figures are world-famous icons such as Queen Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare, Audrey Hepburn, David Beckham, and Malala Yousafzai. With nearly 100 masterpieces, Icons delves into the intricate and compelling genre of portraiture. Due to extensive renovations at the National Portrait Gallery, this unparalleled collection will be displayed in the Netherlands on this singular occasion.