Rijksmuseum Boerhaave: Towards the Black Hole

March 19, 2024 | Rijksmuseum Boerhaave

On March 21, 2024, Rijksmuseum Boerhaave in Leiden will open a new exhibition: Towards the Black Hole. Mysterious places in the cosmos that engulf everything, and from which nothing, not even light, can escape. They may be the most thrilling phenomena in the universe, and even scientists have yet to fully comprehend them.

Step by Step Guide through this fascinating subject

Everyone has heard of black holes and has some idea about them. The exciting, extreme characteristics of these places have inspired numerous stories, films, and games. Research has been conducted for decades, and the first image of a black hole is still fresh in our memories. But what exactly are black holes? Are they truly dangerous? Should we fear black holes? Is a black hole really a hole? In this new exhibition at Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, you will be guided step by step through this fascinating subject, so that by the end of your visit, you will have come a little closer to the black hole.

The exhibition features unique objects and masterpieces from the museum's own collection, as well as loans from, among others, Roger Penrose personally, the Rijksmuseum, Kunstmuseum Den Haag, and the Science Museum in London. You can see prints by Escher, Escher's first letter to Penrose, personal items from black hole pioneer Stephen Hawking, Einstein's pen, a lithograph by Jean Pierre Luminet, drawings, letters, and a puzzle by Roger Penrose, and couture from the Black Hole collection by none other than Viktor & Rolf.

Curious? After a visit to the exhibition, you won't be afraid of the seemingly scary 'monsters' anymore. Discover why scientists are endlessly fascinated by black holes and learn more about the elusiveness of our universe.

The exhibition Towards the Black Hole will be on display from March 21, 2024, to January 5, 2025, at Rijksmuseum Boerhaave in Leiden.