BIRDS – Curated by The Goldfinch & Simon Schama in Den Haag

We cannot imagine life without birds. They are a symbol of freedom, beauty, and love. But birds are also pets, food, or hunting trophies. In the exhibition BIRDS – Curated by The Goldfinch & Simon Schama, we ask ourselves how it is possible that we both admire and confine birds. And what does our bond with birds say about how we treat nature? Carel Fabritius’s Goldfinch from 1654 and the British (art) historian Simon Schama bring birds from all over the world to the Mauritshuis. With art by Leonardo Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Tracey Emin, Iris van Herpen, and many other artists, we show the human perspective on birds. This magnificent exhibition featuring diverse birds in the Wunderkammer of the Mauritshuis is on view until June 7, 2026, and is one of the most beautiful exhibitions of 2026. NRC and Trouw award BIRDS 5 stars. A selection of the bird masterpieces on stamps.

Thinking of Birds

My first thought when I hear 'Birds' is the Eurovision Song Contest song by Anouk from 2013, sung in Malmö (Sweden). Can you sing along?

The negative run of results was ended by singer Anouk, who performed the song ' Birds' in the final. It is a ballad for the 58th edition of the Song Contest, which was held in Malmö, Sweden. There, she finished in 9th place with 114 points. With this, Anouk brought about a turnaround in public opinion regarding the Eurovision Song Contest. Dutch entries had not succeeded in doing so since 2004. The song is featured on Anouk's eighth album, Sad Singalong Songs.

Anouk in Malmö: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5iazXvMw5o

But now back to the beautiful exhibition at the Mauritshuis. Birds as part of art is an endless form of exhibiting. It is difficult to make a selection, and so it is for guest curator Simon Schama. It has become a true Wunderkammer in the temporary exhibition space of the Mauritshuis. Upon entering, you walk through the spacious hall, keep to the left, walk past the museum shop, and go up the stairs (or via the elevator). Finally, you reach the top floor, have your museum card scanned, and enjoy the BIRDS.

 

John James Audubon (1785 – 1851)

Audubon was born in Haiti—a French colony until 1804—and grew up in France under the name Jean-Jacques Audubon. To evade Napoleon's conscription, he emigrated to the United States in 1803 and anglicized his name there to John James. He initially tried twelve trades and had thirteen misfortunes, and ended up in prison in 1819 because of his debts. The only thing he excelled at was drawing and painting. While still in France, he could often be found in the woods making sketches. In the US, he decided that birds were the most beautiful thing nature had to offer and developed an obsession with them. On October 12, 1820, he embarked on a boat trip on the Ohio River in Cincinnati with the—certainly for that time—ambitious goal of creating a painted image of every bird of North America.

Although many saw this intention as the seal of his downfall, he left for England in 1826 to publish his book * The Birds of America* , containing 435 illustrations of largely unknown bird species. The book became literally world-famous. In those days, the US was still a relatively unimportant, untamed, and unknown collection of countries. In the United Kingdom, the most important power of the day, the book made a great impression. Yet he managed to sell barely two hundred copies of the book, while he needed three hundred to break even. His son Victor sold only two copies on the European mainland: to an Italian nobleman and to Martinus van Marum, the director of Teylers Museum in Haarlem.

From November 2007 through January 2008, Teylers Museum organized an exhibition about John James Audubon and his book The Birds of America, of which the museum holds one of the 191 copies. In 2010, a copy of The Birds of America was auctioned for 11,5 million dollars. This made it the most expensive book in the world up to that point. The book containing the drawing of the red flamingo is on display at the exhibition.

 

Pablo Picasso - The Dove (1949)

Dove (French: La Colombe) is a lithograph on paper from 1949, created by Pablo Picasso in an edition of 50+5 copies. The lithograph depicts a white dove on a black background, which is generally considered a symbol of peace. The image was used for a poster at the Paris Peace Congress in 1949 and also became an iconographic image of the time, known as 'The Peace Dove'. A copy is in the collection of the Tate Gallery and the MOMA. Since then, it has been considered a masterpiece.

On January 9, 1949, Picasso created *Dove*, a black-and-white lithograph, which he produced in the studio of the printmaker Fernand Mourlot in Paris. It was published by Galerie Louise Leiris in an edition of five proofs and fifty prints on white Arches woven paper. The image of the white dove is simple yet striking, and was created using lithographic ink wax.

The printmaker Fernand Mourlot described the work as one of the most beautiful lithographs ever made; the soft tones achieved in the feathers… are absolutely remarkable. This plate… shows the maximum that can be achieved with lithographic ink used as watercolor paint. The dove depicted in the lithograph was in reality a Milanese dove, which Picasso had received as a gift from his friend and fellow artist Henri Matisse.

Picasso's lithograph 'Dove' was used to illustrate the poster for the Paris Peace Congress in 1949. The poet Louis Aragon, a supporter of the French Communist Party, selected the image and visited Picasso's studio. The dove became a symbol of peace and also of world communism. The day before the opening of the Peace Congress on April 20, 1949, Picasso's partner, Françoise Gilot, gave birth to his fourth child, who was named Paloma, the Spanish word for dove.

The poster for the Paris Peace Exhibition is today revered not only as an important work of art, but also as proof of the enduring power of art as a means for peace. Its simplicity and universal message continue to resonate and remind us of the fundamental human desire for a world free from violence and division. Picasso's Dove remains a universal symbol of hope; its delicate form is just as relevant today as it was in 1949.

 

Daedalus and Icarus

The story of Daedalus and his son Icarus, whom he fathered with Naucrate, is described in Ovid's Metamorphoses, among others. After the construction of the labyrinth, he and Icarus became trapped on Crete because Minos refused to let them leave, due to the fact that he knew the secret of the Labyrinth of Knossos. Because Crete is an island and the harbors were guarded, escaping was very difficult.

Escape was only possible by air. Daedalus therefore made two pairs of enormous bird wings from feathers, which he attached to wooden frames with beeswax. Together with his reckless son Icarus, he then attempted the crossing from Crete to Athens across the Aegean Sea. He advised his son not to fly too high, that is to say, not too close to the sun. Flying too low was also forbidden, as the water would otherwise wet the feathers. He had to travel the Golden Mean, or the Aurea Mediocritas.

Icarus, however, did not listen to his father's advice. He became overconfident and flew higher and higher. Due to the heat of the sun, the beeswax melted and the wings fell apart, whereupon Icarus plunged into the sea. Daedalus watched his son disappear into the waves. Meanwhile, a shepherd, a fisherman, and a farmer, who were watching from a distance, mistook Daedalus and Icarus for gods, because only gods could fly through the heavens.

The grieving Daedalus buried his son after finding him on a nearby island, according to tradition the island of Ikaria. The part of the sea into which Icarus landed (between the Cyclades and Asia Minor) is named after him: the Icaric Sea.

 

Mauritshuis x Bird Protection Netherlands

Together for BIRDS

As part of the exhibition BIRDS – Curated by The Goldfinch & Simon Schama, the Mauritshuis and Vogelbescherming Nederland bring art and nature together. Inspired by the curator of this exhibition, the iconic Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius, we are committed to having more goldfinches in your neighborhood! Because that says a lot about the state of nature. The more there are, the greener and healthier your surroundings. From March 1 to June 7, 2026, every visitor to the BIRDS exhibition will receive a free packet of Goldfinch Mix. With this organic flower seed mix, you make room for more birds, flowers, and insects – right in your garden or on your balcony. Sow along and turn your neighborhood into a true Goldfinch paradise.

 

<strong> More info: </strong>

BIRDS – Curated by The Goldfinch & Simon Schama, tot en met 7 juni 2026:

https://www.mauritshuis.nl/nu-te-doen/tentoonstellingen/birds-curated-by-the-goldfinch-simon-schama

Modern Birds (outdoor exhibition along and in the Hofvijver, The Hague), through April 15, 2026: https://denhaag.com/nl/modernbirds

Everything about the goldfinch:

https://www.postzegelblog.nl/2026/02/20/de-vier-verschijningsvormen-van-het-puttertje/

Previous museum blogs: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/made-in-holland/