Global

Nov 18, 2020

Philips commits to supporting the Rijksmuseum for further five years

Amsterdam, the NetherlandsRoyal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, and the Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands’ national museum of art and history, today announced they are extending their existing twenty-year collaboration for a further five years. This means Philips will remain closely involved with the museum as a project founder and innovation partner until at least 2026. The company has supported the Rijksmuseum in bringing the museum’s collection to the attention of an even larger public since 2001, helping to make a positive impact on people's lives.

Philips and the Rijksmuseum are two brands with worldwide success as well as being strongly rooted in Dutch society. Together, we are bringing inspiration from art, culture, innovation and technology to people to improve their lives.

Frans van Houten

CEO of Royal Philips

"Philips and the Rijksmuseum are two brands with worldwide success as well as being strongly rooted in Dutch society. Together, we are bringing inspiration from art, culture, innovation and technology to people to improve their lives. We can now further strengthen each other in this," said Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips. "It is precisely during this difficult COVID period that we want to continue making a social contribution to sectors that are currently under pressure, such as the arts and culture. That's why we have made a conscious decision to extend our involvement with the Rijksmuseum for a long period of time, giving them something to hold on to in times of great uncertainty.”

Night Watch on tour to care homes and hospitals

One of the most successful projects bringing the collection to the attention of a wider audience is ‘Night Watch On Tour’, which allowed several life-size replicas of Rembrandt’s ‘The Night Watch’ painting to be admired last summer at thirty nursing and care homes throughout the Netherlands.

 

The aim of the initiative was to encourage residents who, due to the coronavirus pandemic, do not currently have the opportunity to participate in cultural outings such as museum visits. Volunteers from Philips made the project possible by acting as museum guides for residents at participating nursing and care homes, telling the story behind the masterpiece and answering questions.

 

This autumn, ‘Night Watch On Tour’ will also visit hospitals to support care staff. From November 17, 2020, a life-size replica of The Night Watch will be on display in the Onze Lieve Vrouwen Gasthuis (OLVG) hospital in Amsterdam for its staff members. In January, 2021, it will travel to the Princess Maxima Children's Hospital in Utrecht for four weeks, where sick children stay with their parents for long periods of time. Hospitals wishing to participate in ‘Night Watch On Tour’ should contact: nachtwacht@rijksmuseum.nl.

 

"During this period, Philips’ extension of its long-term collaboration by five years will be indispensable. We are very grateful to Philips for this. Especially now, it is important that the business community embraces culture. Together we are committed to bringing art to people who self-evidently are not able to come to the museum," said Rijksmuseum Managing Director Taco Dibbits.

Twenty years of Philips and Rijksmuseum

Philips has been closely involved with the Rijksmuseum since 2001, providing support in the early years when the museum temporarily opened in the current Philips Wing while the main museum building underwent renovation, and later during its redesign.

 

In recent years, the focus of the collaboration has been on health technology, one of the highlights being the ‘Dutch Masters’ theme for Philips’ Ambient Experience technology, which aims to relieve the fear and anxiety experienced by patients undergoing radiology examinations. Philips commissioned a film featuring paintings by Rembrandt set to music by Beethoven that patients could choose to play during their MRI scan. As a result of this special collaboration, the Rijksmuseum and Philips received a golden SponsorRing Award in 2018.

 

In the coming years, Philips and the Rijksmuseum will continue to improve the lives of people with initiatives such as the Night Watch on Tour and the Dutch Masters Ambient Experience theme. They will also work together to exchange knowledge and experiences about making the Rijksmuseum collection digitally accessible and sustainable.

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being, and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum – from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2019 sales of EUR 19.5 billion and employs approximately 81,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

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About the Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of art and history of and for everyone. It connects people, art and history. The Rijksmuseum offers an overview of Dutch art and history from the Middle Ages to the present day. More than 8,000 paintings - including the world-famous masterpieces by Rembrandt and Vermeer - drawings, prints, photographs, silver, porcelain, delftware, furniture and more are permanently displayed side by side. They give visitors a sense of time and a sense of beauty. The collection is continuously researched, re-evaluated and supplemented to tell as complete a story as possible about the Netherlands.

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Ben Zwirs

Philips Global Press Office

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