Permanent exhibition Escher in The Palace

Escher

With one hundred and thirty works, almost all pieces by the world-famous Dutch artist M.C. Escher (1898-1972) are on display at Escher in Het Paleis. With the highlight and crown of the exhibition being the 7-metre-long Metamorphosis III. This enormous woodcut and its extraordinary arrangement allows the viewer to experience the Escher coupling of eternity and infinity through which time and space are united into an organic whole.

A game of trickery and perspective

Besides admiring, you can also marvel here. Escher captivates young and old alike with his wonderful world. The Palace shows famous "impossible" representations such as Day and Night, in which birds seem to grow out of Dutch meadows, and Climbing and Descending, in which rows of people walk up and down stairs in an endless loop. His imaginative constructions, impossible to build in reality, are a play on tricks of sight and perspective.

Early work

Besides the famous prints, the museum also features early work, such as beautiful Italian landscapes, study drawings of Moorish mosaics and bizarre still lifes. Family photos evoke Escher's life and wood blocks and lithographic stones explain his working methods in an accessible way.

Experience the world of Escher

The second floor was transformed into an interactive world for the presentation: Looking Like Escher. Through the innovative attractions, you become part of Escher's world: in a magic sphere, worlds appear and disappear; in a room, walls seem to change and move, a little further on is an exciting floor! In Escher's Room, you step into his magical world. You change the perspective yourself: children seem taller than their parents. Very special is the room with Optical Art. You think you see movement, but you don't: optical art - just like Escher's - is all about trickery. Besides these fun attractions, treasure hunts are available for younger children. During the regular holidays, there are also workshops for children.

Visiting Queen Mother Emma

Emma, the first of four queens to rule the Netherlands for a century lived in this palace in winter until her death in 1934. The queens used this monumental building until 1990. The Palace is over two hundred years old. It is located in the heart of historic The Hague, on one of the most beautiful avenues in our country: the Lange Voorhout, where all kinds of cultural activities take place in summer. The royal rooms show in a contemporary way what The Palace looked like in Emma's time.

Chandeliers

Rotterdam artist Hans van Bentem designed beautiful chandeliers for the former royal rooms. In the ballroom, for instance, an enormous star hangs endlessly reflected in two classical mirrors. In other rooms, a shark, a spider and a seahorse hover above Escher's work. The contemporary chandeliers give the intimate rooms royal allure.