Artist in Residence

The Rijksmuseum will launch an annual Artist in Residence programme for one artist in 2025. This programme includes a stipend and a budget to produce one or more artworks. Additionally, there is room for artistic research, experimentation, and the creation of new work.

Both Dutch artists and non-Dutch artists who are well-embedded in the Dutch art world are eligible to apply for this residency.

If you are the successful candidate you will have access to our collections, library, archive, laboratories and expertise. You will also have the opportunity to join workshops and excursions to foster exchanges of knowledge.

The Rijksmuseum invites outstanding candidates to submit a proposal for an artistic project, preferably one that is research-based and that reflects on, responds to, and interacts with the Rijksmuseum collections or its history, activities and function as an institution. We expect from the selected artist that they create an artwork or artistic intervention for presentation in the museum.

We welcome independent proposals that offer new perspectives on the Rijksmuseum’s collections, history and activities, and that perform research on them. As the successful candidate you will be free to work according to your own artistic process and method. There are no restrictions on your artwork in terms of its genre, medium, subject or format, provided that the work you produce does not conflict with our policies and ethical principles, or compromise the safety of the collections, building, visitors and/or staff.

The Artist in Residence programme offers the selected artist the opportunity to conduct some of their artistic activities within the Rijksmuseum itself, and encourages them to connect with the research programme. For this reason, we are particularly keen to receive applications from talented artists for whom research is an essential part of their practice.

The first residency in this annual programme runs from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. (Please note that it is not possible to extend the duration of this residency beyond 31 December 2025).

If you are the successful candidate, we will provide you with a standard workstation at the museum, with a desk, computer and access to Rijksmuseum working facilities. If you need studio space, we will make efforts to meet your needs either at the museum or elsewhere. The Rijksmuseum expects to present the artwork(s) you produce in the context of the museum building, collections, gardens or online environment. 

You have a proven, high-quality track record as an exhibiting artist and have worked on large-scale commissions and with public institutions, providing you with the experience and skills necessary to navigate the critical environment of the Rijksmuseum.          

• You are a mid-career Dutch artist or non-Dutch artist who has lived and worked in the Netherlands for at least two years and is well-acquainted with the Dutch art world;
• You don’t need to have had a formal education, but a completed BA and/or MA degree would be an advantage;
• You have demonstrable experience with a research-based practice.

We welcome submissions from artists working in any discipline.

As Artist in Residence you will be working behind the scenes with passionate experts in their field at a major, internationally oriented museum. Additionally we offer:

• A total stipend of € 45,000 paid monthly (in 2025);
• A maximum budget of € 60,000 for the production of the artwork(s);
• A travel budget of € 5,000;
• An additional monthly allowance if you do not have access to a studio.

Important note: If you are self-employed, all sums of money specified here are inclusive of VAT.

This is what we need from you:

• Description of your proposal, explaining its relevance and relationship to the Rijksmuseum and/or its collections (maximum 4 A4 pages);
• Portfolio of previous work by the artist with visual documentation relevant to this residency and the proposal (maximum 5 images in one document or links to work);
• Motivation letter of 250-300 words in which you detail the following: why a residency would be suitable at this time in your career; the aim of the residency; and the benefits the residency would have for your professional and creative practice;
• Preliminary work schedule for the residency period;
• Resume detailing your education history, work experience, honours, awards and exhibitions;
• Public activities: We highly value public engagement, and we expect you to have ideas on the most effective methods or activities for outreach to communities. We expect you to describe how you would engage with the public throughout your residency and what audiences might benefit from your work.

Applications must be received by 23:59 (CEST) on 8 September 2024 

Please note that only applications containing all six documents described in the list above will be considered.

In September 2024 an independent professional jury will assess all proposals and select one candidate on the basis of the quality, originality and urgency of the proposal and its connections with the Rijksmuseum collection and/or the Rijksmuseum as an institution.

If you have any further questions about the Artist in Residence programme, please contact Barbara Tedder, Manager of Academic Programmes at fellowships@rijksmuseum.nl

THANKS

The Rijksmuseum Artist in Residence Programme is made possible in part by the Mondriaan Fund and through the Rijksmuseum Fund: Conrad Whelan 42 Fund, ABREZIEL Fund and a private donor.

We only consider applications submitted through the Rijksmuseum website. Applications sent by email will not be considered.