Museum Van Loon proudly announces Flourish: Kehinde Wiley x Museum Van Loon , an exhibition featuring new portraits by renowned American artist Kehinde Wiley. It is Wiley’s first solo exhibition in the Netherlands. The new work the artist is creating for this exhibition forms a visual response to Museum Van Loon’s portrait collection and historical interiors. Flourish connects Western portraiture, the Dutch colonial presence worldwide, and contemporary art as a social and cultural practice. At the same time, Flourish highlights beauty and grace in the twenty-first century, reflected in the models the artist met in Suriname. The exhibition can be seen at Museum Van Loon from May 29 to August 31, 2025.
Flourish: Kehinde Wiley x Museum Van Loon
The collaboration between Museum Van Loon and Kehinde Wiley began several years ago. Inspired by the museum’s portrait collection and its relationship to the Dutch colonial presence worldwide, Wiley’s research took him to Suriname.
Kehinde Wiley: “ While studying the collection of Museum Van Loon, I asked myself: who were we then, and who do we want to be now? This new work is at the intersection of those questions. I envisioned how I could translate the historical portraits into an artistic journey where you meet young people in the twenty-first century. In Suriname, I saw a country where so many different spaces, cultures and times come together. In the age-old language of portraiture, Flourish captures what value, beauty and grace can be in today’s world. By honoring individuals who historically may not have been seen on these museum walls, my work says, ‘You are welcome here. You matter.’”
About the artist
Kehinde Wiley is internationally acclaimed for his striking portraits, which apply classical European painting traditions to contemporary representation. His work reinterprets the artistic language of nobility and power, placing people of color—wherever he encounters them—at the center of his compositions. In 2018, Kehinde Wiley unveiled his iconic portrait of President Barack Obama, making him the first African-American artist to create an official portrait of a President of the United States.
Bringing histories together through portrait art
In 2019, Museum Van Loon chose a new course: the historical collection was used as a platform for relevant stories that fit the diverse society in which we live.
Director Gijs Schunselaar: “We cherish our historical collection and want to share it with the world. At the same time, we strive to be a guardian of a present and a future in which everyone is included. We are delighted to be able to give shape to that vision together with Kehinde Wiley. Wiley’s work celebrates both classical and contemporary aesthetics, while also addressing current issues that are anchored in our national heritage. Flourish is a wonderful example of what drives us as an institution: bringing worlds together.”
Source: Museum Van Loon
