When is something considered a masterpiece? Is it when it's made from precious materials? Should it be very old? Must it have been created by a renowned artist? Could even a forgery be a masterpiece? These are some of the questions we invited families to explore during the summer of 2023 in Mission Masterpiece, the first exhibition at the Rijksmuseum designed specifically for families and presented on the museum’s main platform. It was also unique in that it focused entirely on conservation and science - an essential, yet often invisible part of the museum’s work. By highlighting this behind-the-scenes aspect of the museum, we aimed to attract a broader and more diverse audience.
The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands, offering an overview of Dutch art and history from the Middle Ages onward, alongside significant works of European and Asian art. With more than 8,000 objects displayed across 80 galleries, the museum attracts a large and varied audience each year - thanks in part to its collection of works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Leyster, and Van Gogh. In addition to its permanent collection, the Rijksmuseum organizes three temporary exhibitions each year. Until 2023, these exhibitions were aimed exclusively at adults. Mission Masterpiece challenged us to step outside our usual areas of expertise and engage with an entirely new audience. How did we do this and what impact did it have?
A Behind-the-Scenes Experience
Families and children represent an important audience for the Rijksmuseum, accounting for 24% of its visitors. By developing an exhibition specifically for them, we created a unique experience centered on 'learning by doing.' The core idea was to combine science and art in an interactive, hands-on way, with the goal of engaging new audiences. Mission Masterpiece offered a fresh perspective on the collection by providing a behind-the-scenes look at the museum’s work. Instead of passively observing, visitors became active participants in the museum's processes, engaging directly with the fields of conservation and science.
The exhibition space was transformed into a research lab, where visitors were invited to take on the roles of museum conservators and scientists, using the same tools and techniques as the experts: UV light, X-ray, microscopes, and tree-ring analysis. Wearing lab coats and guided by research cards, they investigated the diamonds in King William I’s crown and learned how to identify a Vermeer - ultimately leading them to reflect on the central question: what makes something a masterpiece?
Rijksmuseum / Olivier Middendorp
Opportunities for Collaboration
Conservation and Science is a vital but often hidden part of the museum. This exhibition provided a rare opportunity to spotlight this department. Conservation staff were core members of the project team, and many others from the department contributed throughout the process. Their motivation and commitment helped to build strong support within the organization. External collaboration was also key, particularly with NEMO Science Museum, the most popular science museum in the Netherlands. Their expertise in making complex scientific concepts accessible and engaging for children proved invaluable during the development of the exhibition.
But perhaps the most important collaborators were the children themselves. We actively involved them throughout every phase of the project. We conducted audience research via specialized agencies, visited schools to collect feedback from hundreds of children and assembled a children's advisory panel. This group worked alongside staff on various aspects of the exhibition, from communications and marketing to the opening event.
Results and Learnings
Audience research conducted prior to Mission Masterpiece confirmed the potential to reach a new segment of visitors. Initially, many families associated the Rijksmuseum with terms like “paintings,” “old masters,” “traditional,” and even “boring.” After experiencing Mission Masterpiece, their perceptions shifted dramatically. They described the museum as “modern,” “playful,” “innovative,” and “child-friendly.” The exhibition received an overall rating of 9.1 out of 10 - the highest score ever for a Rijksmuseum exhibition. Nearly 80% of visitors indicated they would return for a similar experience, and almost 60% had never visited the museum before, demonstrating that the subject and format successfully attracted a new audience.
However, this fresh perspective also came with challenges. Reaching a new audience required new messaging, and that takes time to land. With the exhibition running for only two months, it was difficult to fully communicate the concept through marketing and outreach. Children in our advisory panels noted that the word “exhibition” or even “family exhibition” didn’t accurately capture the experience: it sounded passive and unengaging. But it was difficult to find adequate alternative terminology. In retrospect, the use of more familiar terminology might ultimately have served us better.
Compared to our ‘regular’ exhibitions, a family-oriented exhibition posed unique demands. It required continuous attention and support throughout its entire duration - because even the smallest details influence the experience, and everything needs to be in perfect condition. And although the concept was based on a self-guided experience for families, we discovered that having museum staff present in the gallery to offer guidance and assistance was more essential than we had anticipated. Another key takeaway was the importance of continuous testing with the target audience. This ensured that the exhibition truly matched the expectations and interests of the families it was designed for.
A lasting legacy of Mission Masterpiece could be to explore how such themes and approaches might be integrated into the permanent collection. After all, “What makes something a masterpiece?” turned out to be a question that not only engaged children and parents alike, but also one that could resonate across the museum’s broader collection, inviting fresh perspectives, time and time again, across all 8,000 objects.