From 23 March 2024, Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen brings together the public’s favorite works from the museum’s collection in the exhibition Beloved.

Presented on the fifth floor of the Depot, the exhibition features almost seventy paintings and ten sculptures by such great names as Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Rembrandt, Carel Fabritius, Rachel Ruysch, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Charley Toorop, Jean-Michel Basquiat and many others. Beloved is a celebration of the 175th anniversary of the founding of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.

The highlights of the painting collection are usually displayed in the museum’s galleries, but now that the museum has been closed for renovation for almost five years, the museum shows the seventy most popular works in the Depot as part of the 175th anniversary celebrations. Some paintings have been highlights since the museum’s inception, such as A Cornfield by Jacob van Ruisdael, which was part of Frans Boijmans’ collection. Many other masterpieces, including The Tower of Babel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, were acquired in 1958 as part of the collection of Daniel George van Beuningen. In addition to these two men who gave their names to the museum, many other collectors have contributed to the collection, such as Marie Tak van Poortvliet, who bequeathed Wassily Kandinksy’s painting Lyrical in 1936. Thanks to the financial support of numerous donors, the museum has been able to acquire works such as Rembrandt’s Titus at His Desk and Magritte’s Not to Be Reproduced, which immediately became public favorites and have always remained so.

Over the past two years, visitors have chosen their own highlights from the collection. Their favorite works, including Cézanne’s Landscape near Aix and Charley Toorop’s Self-Portrait, have been included in the selection where possible. What constitutes a highlight is not fixed forever. What is most beloved in one period can fall out of favor in another. Or vice versa: a work that has languished in storage can be rediscovered. Most of the paintings in this selection have captured the public’s imagination for generations. Others have only just arrived, such as Berthe Morisot’s Peonies, which was purchased in 2023. We are also showing some works that the public has barely had a chance to see: will they become the most beloved works in the future?