It is time for new faces and stories that reflect the diversity of North Holland.
On Monday 5 February 2024, the Frans Hals Museum and Amsterdam Museum's portrait competition will be launched. This contest - which calls on creators with and without experience to capture residents of North Holland - aims to capture the province's diversity. The new faces and stories will be presented in two Faces of North Holland exhibitions at the Amsterdam Museum in 2024 and at the Frans Hals Museum in 2025.
Historical portraits, as in the Frans Hals Museum and the Amsterdam Museum, tell interesting stories about residents of North Holland. They were often prominent or prosperous men who had themselves portrayed. The composition of residents of North Holland anno today does not match the portraits of the time in the museums' collections. To ensure that all 21st-century residents of North Holland can identify with the stories and faces shown in the museums, the Frans Hals Museum and the Amsterdam Museum are looking for new portraits of today's faces.
To make this happen, among other things, the Faces of North Holland portrait competition will be launched, as part of the larger project of the same name Faces of North Holland launched in 2021.
"The portrait competition is a celebration of diversity and creativity. This competition is not only a search for portraits, but also for stories that reflect our times. In this way, a museum visit becomes relatable for everyone. Because to be heard, you must also be seen." - Margriet Schavemaker, artistic director of the Amsterdam Museum.
A portrait contest for everyone
The portrait competition will start on Monday, 5 February 2024. It is an invitation to everyone, regardless of experience level, to capture 'the faces of today' in North Holland. Participants have complete freedom to choose from various media, such as photos, videos, painting, drawing, poetry, audio or other creative forms of expression.
Awards and recognition for creativity
Winners will receive a place of honour* in exhibitions at the Amsterdam Museum (2024) and the Frans Hals Museum (2025), as well as a cash prize in each category:
- Best group portrait: € 1,000, -
- Best individual portrait: € 1,000, -
- Audience prize: € 500
- Youth prize: €500
The four prize winners will be selected by a professional jury and by online audience voting. The jury consists of Babs Gons (Poet Laureate), Sioe Jeng Tsao (illustrator and writer), Raquel van Haver (artist), Marwan Magroun (Photographer Laureate), Aukje Dekker (artist) and Jan Hoek (photographer and artist). The judges will also share valuable tips for creating a successful portrait in a series of inspiration videos, which can be viewed on the Faces of North Holland website from Monday 5 February.
In addition to the winning portraits, the other portraits submitted also have a chance to get a place in the exhibitions.
Participation and practical information
- You can participate by uploading a photo of the portrait via the project's website.
- Duration: Monday 5 February - Sunday 12 May 2024
- Voting period: Monday 13 May - Sunday 9 June
- Announcement of winners: July 2024
More information, terms and conditions and inspiration videos from our judges can be found at gvnh.nl/portrait-competition from 5 February.
About Faces of North Holland
Faces of North Holland is a joint initiative of the Amsterdam Museum and the Frans Hals Museum. Within this project, the museums work closely with the province's residents and communities to discover and add new perspectives, faces and stories to our collection. This is achieved through the portrait competition and collaborations with cultural and community organisations - where new portraits are created in co-creation with residents and artists. The Streatenmakers audio collective adds to this by making six trips through North Holland and collecting stories and portraits from residents. A selection of all the collected portraits and stories, will be shown in the Faces of North Holland exhibitions:
- Amsterdam Museum: 27 July to 11 November 2024
- Frans Hals Museum: 3 April to 17 August 2025
Faces of North Holland is funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science as part of the Basic Infrastructure (BIS) 2021-2024.
About the Frans Hals Museum
The Frans Hals Museum is the art museum of Haarlem, with a collection of international class and strong local roots. We preserve and present the art of Haarlem, for residents and visitors of the city, for now and for the future. Our museum is named after Frans Hals, the in his time innovative artist with a special eye for people. We are building on that foundation. The Frans Hals Museum wants to bring together a broad diversity of people and art. To this end, we offer inspiration and encounters between people, artists and art. We do this for and with communities, within the walls of our museum and increasingly outside them.
About the Amsterdam Museum
The Amsterdam Museum tells the story of our capital city: about then, now and later. The museum provides visitors and residents with insight, wonder and connection. The Amsterdam Museum does this through exhibitions, events, publications and other public products, both at physical locations and online. The Amsterdam Museum brings Amsterdam's history to life and provides insight into the city's identity; the museum challenges residents and visitors to deepen their relationship with the city.
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