Escher in het Paleis

On th 16th October 2009 my and my collegues of the Sociale Verzekerings Bank visited The Hague. We visited the Ridderzaal, our Parlement and in the afternoon the Escher in het Paleis. This review is about the Escher in het Paleis.

The Escher in het Paleis (in English:Escher in the Palace or Escher Museum) is a museum in The Hague, featuring the works of the Dutch graphical artist Maurits Cornelis Escher. This museum opened on 16 November 2002. The museum is housed in a former palace (Lange Voorhout Palace from 1764) where Queen Emma lived until 1891.

The museum features a large number of prints and sketches of impossible situations (The Escher Experience). In this situations you can experience the work of Escher. In Escher’s room you can change in size and you can make his drawings move on touch screens. There’s a Fathomlessly Deep Optical Illusion Box. You can look at yourself in an enormous convex mirror. Also you can play with Escher’s work on the computer and try to build the impossible triangle.

A great way to spend some ours in a The Hague Museum.

Escher in het Paleis is a museum dedicated to art work of the world famous dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher.

His black and white drawings are known for their ongoing action in them. People always seem to walk the same stairs over and over again, birds that are transforming into fish, ants which walk on a band that's in the shape of the number 8.

But he has also made several self portraits, which are unusual, like the one where a hand holds up glass bowl and you see his reflection, as if he's holding the ball itself.

Another famous painting is the one of the hands that draw each other.

Their are also colour works on display, as well as photographs of locations Escher has visited throughout his life and that has inspired him, give him ideas for his drawings.

And these drawings are not the ones you just walk by and think "that looks nice". They invite you to look closer and let your mind work on them, making you wonder how he has done this or that.

These drawings are located on the first floor. On the second floor you can actually experience the work Escher has made, play with them on a computer, make them yourself and have your picture taken in a room that's designed to make a small person as tall or taller then the real person.

This is definitely a museum that is worth a visit or two for both young and old!