Speech by Princess Marilène at the Vancouver Artgallery

Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentleman,

It is a great pleasure and honour to stand before you in this beautiful decorated extension of the Vancouver Artgallery…..on Canadian soil. Tonight, I would like to talk about friendship as this is such an important theme in my work for the Rijksmuseum. In my daily work, I strive to encourage as many Dutch people as possible to visit the spectacular collection of the museum. And I always hope that by appreciating the art and history of Holland and being actively involved in their cultural heritage, they will become Friends of the Rijksmuseum. So as you can imagine, friendship is one of my favourite subjects.

The bond and friendship between Canada and the Dutch royal family go back a long way and started during the dark days of World War II. In late 1940 part of the Dutch royal family - Princess Juliana with her children Princess Beatrix and Princess Irene - boarded a ship in Wales bound for Canada. The United Kingdom was considered too dangerous, too close to occupied Europe. Canada welcomed the three princesses and offered them a safe haven during the remainder of the war.

And then, of course, my mother-in-law, Princess Margriet was born in Ottawa in 1943. Ever since she has been in love with Canada and the Canadians. In my husband younger years and even today she relentlessly stipulates the decisive role the Canadians have played in the liberation of our country. We commemorate this friendship with the yearly Tulip festival which is on display in Ottawa as we speak.

My husband and I were therefore delighted that Canada invited us to Vancouver and it is with great pride that I present to you the first major exhibition of the Rijksmuseum in Canada - Vermeer, Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch art today. It is a tremendous honour for the Rijksmuseum that the Vancouver Art Gallery has provided this opportunity for us to share some of the finest masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age with the people of Canada.

Seeing and admiring real treasures of art and history is not only awe inspiring but also sparks an interest in other cultures. And encountering and appreciating one another's culture is the first step on the path to mutual understanding and maybe one day … friendship.

The current renovation of the Rijksmuseum is the most extensive ever undertaken by the museum. It will reopen to the public in a few year's time, completely renewed, providing an overview of Dutch art and history from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. The museum will offer future visitors a rich museum experience that will rank among the best in the world.

While construction work on the Rijksmuseum is carried out, it has been able to lend some of its finest works of art from the collection that would otherwise rarely leave the museum. This exhibition gives the Canadian people the possibility to come face to face with authentic objects from Holland's exciting cultural history.

In Amsterdam the museum is certainly not closed but shows the very best of its collection as part of the The Masterpieces . This presentation in the Philips Wing provides an exceptional opportunity to see more than 400 highlights of the Golden Age: silverware, Delftware, civic company pieces, icons of Dutch history and the public's favorites like the Kitchenmaid by Vermeer and, of course, the world-famous Night Watch by Rembrandt. So, if, after enjoying the exhibition in the Vancouver Art Gallery you would like to see more, just give me a call and I am happy to arrange a private tour for you in Amsterdam!

I hope that this exhibition will also mark the start of a productive friendship between the Rijksmuseum and the Vancouver Art Gallery that has done such a tremendous job with this exhibition something you can truly be proud of.
And last but not least, I hope that many art lovers here in Canada will enjoy the paintings by the masters of the Dutch Golden Age. For Canadians of Dutch descent, and I know there are many, I hope this exhibition will be a further incentive to come to the Vancouver Art Gallery, to see something of their own cultural heritage.

I thank you for being present here, tonight, at the Dutch Masters Ball. Your presence means that you are interested to learn more about the fascinating story of Dutch art and history.

And after you have all seen this beautiful exhibition, I hope you will feel closer to, and more of a friend of Holland and the Rijksmuseum!