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Contemporary Art Listings The Hague

Tag: Huis van het boek

  • Emily Hunt: More Magic at Huis van het boek

    Emily Hunt: More Magic at Huis van het boek

    ‘Emily Hunt: More Magic’ in National Museum Huis van het boek is the first solo museum exhibition in Europe of the Australian visual artist Emily Hunt. Over the past few months, Emily Hunt has delved into the rich collection of the museum in search of magical books. The exhibition is on show from 27 September 2025 till 1 February 2026.

    This autumn from 27 September 2025 till 1 February 2026, National Museum Huis van het boek will present the first solo museum exhibition in Europe of Emily Hunt, entitled “Emily Hunt: More Magic”. Over the past few months, Emily Hunt has delved into the rich collection of Huis van het boek in search of magical books. ‘Of all the things we have invented, the book is the most magical. You can open a book and be immediately transported to another world. Working with the museum’s collection, I have discovered new connections between ancient and contemporary magic. Magic has always been present and I believe that it can help us to look at the world in a different way.” Hunt’s research forms the basis for a new series of enchanting works of art: ceramic sculptures, etchings, portraits, jewellery, murals and marionettes. Emily Hunt dives into the past in search of magic for the future.

     

    Emily Hunt, magic and books

    Emily Hunt (1981, Sydney) lives and works in Berlin. Her history as a rare book dealer has informed her encyclopedic practice as an artist. Through drawing, painting, etching and ceramics, Hunt investigates the visual history of magic. The museum has invited her to be the first to do research into magical books in the collection, making this the first exhibition on the subject at Huis van het boek. Many of the books she found date from the Renaissance and Enlightenment, periods of great change and a renewed interest in the mystical, just as in the present day. Hunt let herself be guided by the Italian humanist and translator Marsilio Ficino and 18th-century Benedictine monk Bernard de Montfaucon, authors whose works can be found in the collection of the museum. Hunt has produced marionettes of both authors. During the opening they will be brought to life during a live performance staged by Hunt together with Dr. Peter Forshaw, professor of Western esotericism at the University of Amsterdam.

  • News from Nowhere at Huis van het boek

    News from Nowhere at Huis van het boek

    ‘News from Nowhere’ is an exhibition of 678 artists’ novels with a special focus on ‘News from Nowhere’, the first artist’s novel, written by William Morris (1834-1896) – artist, designer and utopian thinker. The collection of artists’ novels, featuring novels by well-known artists such as Salvador Dalí, Yayoi Kusama and Andy Warhol, has been compiled by David Maroto and Joanna Zielińska. The artists’ novels are exhibited alongside a highlight from the museum’s collection: the cabinet containing all editions of the Kelmscott Press, the legendary private press founded in 1891 by William Morris.

    From 27 September 2025 museum Huis van het Boek presents ‘News from Nowhere’, an exhibition of 678 artists’ novels with a special focus on News from Nowhere (1890). This is the first artist’s novel, written by William Morris – artist, designer and utopian thinker. Morris is also a pioneer in the genre of science fiction and fantasy, and his work has had a major influence on contemporary artists’ novels about time travel and utopian societies, for instance by Liam Gillick, Mai-Thu Perret and Will Holder. The collection of artists’ novels, featuring novels by well-known artists such as Salvador Dalí, Yayoi Kusama and Andy Warhol, has been compiled by David Maroto and Joanna Zielińska. The novels are exhibited alongside a highlight from the museum’s collection: the cabinet containing all editions of the Kelmscott Press, the legendary private press founded in 1891 by William Morris.