Mayken Jonkman appointed as Rijksmuseum’s Curator of 19th-Century Paintings
Jenny Reynaerts to chair Women of the Rijksmuseum working group
Publication date: 14 February 2023 - 08:41
Mayken Jonkman is to succeed Jenny Reynaerts as the Rijksmuseum’s Curator of 19th-Century Paintings on 1 March 2023 . From this date, Reynaerts will devote her full attention as a Rijksmuseum curator to the subject of women in art and history. She will also chair the Women of the Rijksmuseum working group. Mayken Jonkman is currently the Senior Curator of 19th-Century Art at the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD) in The Hague.
19th-century paintings
Mayken Jonkman specialises in 19th-century Dutch art in an international context. She is currently completing her PhD thesis on the success of Dutch artists in Paris from 1775 to 1914. Her published written work spans topics including the 19th-century art market, collectors, studio practices and the image of the artist. Jonkman has initiated numerous exhibitions, including The Dutch in Paris (Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, and Petit Palais, Paris, 2017-2018), Schoonheid te koop, Kunsthandel Frans Buffa & Zonen 1790-1951 (‘Beauty for Sale: Art Dealership Frans Buffa & Sons, 1790-1951’, Singer Laren, 2015) and Mythen van het Atelier (‘Myths of the Artist’s Studio’ , Teylers Museum, Haarlem, 2010). Jonkman is also a lecturer at VU University Amsterdam.
Mayken Jonkman will enrich the Fine and Decorative Arts department as a highly respected art historian with vast knowledge of the 19th century and an extensive international network.
Taco Dibbits, director of the Rijksmuseum
Women of the Rijksmuseum
Jenny Reynaerts and a team of experts are conducting a study of objects in the Rijksmuseum collection from a gender-based perspective, with particular interest in the history of women. Their research into female artists and subjects is generating new perspectives, enabling the museum to offer a more complete story in its collections, exhibitions and displays. The research team will also delve into the institutional history of the Rijksmuseum itself: its female benefactors, collectors, commissioning patrons and key staff members. We have held several displays highlighting the work of these women since the launch of Women of the Rijksmuseum, including Women on Paper and Japan Modern, an exhibition of modern Japanese prints collected by Elise Wessels. The team’s endeavours have also led to the acquisition of work by various female artists, including Charley Toorop, Thérèse Schwartze, Sara de Swart and George Sand . The Rijksmuseum holds an annual symposium on this topic. The 2023 edition will take place on 7 March, titled Women in the Museum: Shattered Ceilings Jenny Reynaerts’ appointment of her new position was made possible by the Women of the Rijksmuseum Fund.
The appointment of Jenny Reynaerts and the team of researchers will enable us to give greater exposure to female stories and ensure that – rather than being a temporary project – it will provide a way of highlighting and embedding in the museum a hitherto neglected female perspective.
Taco Dibbits, director of the Rijksmuseum
