In the dunes of The Hague, where light can be so tangibly present, American artist James Turrell has created a place to look at the sky: ‘Celestial Vault’ in Kijkduin. The work has been permanent and freely accessible for three decades. Stroom Den Haag is celebrating the anniversary from September 18 to 20 with guided tours and a presentation on its origins.
A long staircase, an elliptical dune hollow, and a stone bench. Whoever enters Hemels Gewelf lies down and looks up. The shape of the landscape leads the gaze towards the sky; the heavens seem to draw closer and change shape. Light, clouds, time of day, and weather make every experience different.On this coming September 21st, it will be exactly thirty years since Celestial Vault by American artist James Turrell was completed and unveiled in the dunes of The Hague. It is one of the few permanently accessible landscape works by Turrell in Europe – an internationally renowned artwork that is free for everyone to visit, right here in The Hague.
No screen. No distractions. Just watching.
It is precisely in this respect that Hemels Gewelf feels remarkably relevant thirty years after its opening. In a world where our attention is constantly demanded, the work offers something rare: a place where you don’t have to do anything for a moment but look. Turrell makes the sky not a background, but a subject. Whoever lies on the stone bench becomes simultaneously aware of the light, the space, and their own way of seeing.
International artwork, Hague collection James Turrell is internationally regarded as one of the most important artists working with light, space, and perception. His work can be found worldwide; recently, a ‘skyspace’ was installed in the Aarhus Art Museum in Denmark. The fact that The Hague possesses a permanent and freely accessible landscape work by his hand is exceptional. Hidden in the dunes near Kijkduin, art and landscape merge almost completely. Hemels Gewelf is therefore not only a work by an internationally renowned artist but also a special asset of The Hague: a piece of the sky on the coast, which remains a discovery for many visitors.
Anniversary weekend September 18-20, 2026 Stroom Den Haag, the initiator of the realization of Hemels Gewelf , is organizing a festive program with guided tours from September 18 to 20. Visitors will discover the work, its history, and the unique character of art in public space. Registration is possible via www.stroom.nl .
Additionally, at Stroom aan de Hogewal, there is a presentation featuring a model of Hemels Gewelf and photo and film material from the very beginning.
The Hague English Comedy Nights return to Branoul on Saturday 26 September, bringing together established names and rising talent from the international English-language comedy circuit.
This month’s headliner is Irish comedian Fred Cooke, who combines music, physical storytelling and an unpredictable stage style. A well-known face on the Irish comedy circuit, Cooke has supported major comedians including Tommy Tiernan, Ardal O’Hanlon and Seann Walsh.
He is also a regular performer at leading comedy venues in the UK and Ireland, including The Stand, The Comedy Store, The Empire and Dublin’s Laughter Lounge, and has appeared widely on the festival circuit. His performances mix musical ability with energetic storytelling and a deliberately chaotic style of comedy.
Also appearing is Shaz Memon, a Dutch-Pakistani stand-up comedian based in Amsterdam. His comedy combines sharp crowd work, storytelling and cross-cultural observations on identity, immigration, race and modern city life.
Born and raised in Pakistan, Memon later moved to Australia to study before settling in the Netherlands, giving him an international perspective that strongly shapes his material. He has quickly built a name on the European English-language comedy circuit and, in 2025, won both the Jury Award and Audience Award at the English Comedy Talent Award during the Utrecht International Comedy Festival.
The evening will be hosted by Irish comedian Sharon Em, who will guide audiences through the line-up, with additional support acts also appearing during the night.
The Hague English Comedy Nights regularly feature headline acts from the UK and European comedy circuits who are not often seen performing in the Netherlands, alongside experienced MCs, established support acts and emerging comedians.
There are two performances on Saturday 26 September, at 19:00 and 21:00. The show is entirely in English.
Contemporary Art Tour The Hague Fr. 25 September 7-11 PM
During HOOGTIJ you can visit more than 20 locations in the inner-city of The Hague: from white cube to underground; from established art in galleries and institutions to installations and performances in artists initiatives. Free entrance. Free tours for those who wants it.
Startlocation 6.30-7.00 PM: Quartair (Toussaintkade55). Free art tours start here at 7 PM.
Deelnemers: 1646, Atelier Ferron, Billytown + Billytown Air, Das Leben am Haverkamp, EnergieKas, Galerie Maurits van de Laar, Galerie Sophie, Kunstbar, Maldoror + Maldoror Studio, Namuso Gallery, Nest, NGO, Page Not Found, Parterretrap, Projektruimte WEST END, Quartair, Rijksmuseum Meermanno, Ruimtevaart, Sis Josip Galerie, Refunc, Stroom Den Haag, The Balcony, The Grey Space, West Testforum.
Photographer Eva Besnyö (1910 – 2003) was not only a witness to, but also a driving force behind the emancipation of photography. Together with her contemporaries, she experimented freely with a new visual language: away from painting, focused on reality, close-up, and full of dynamism.
This autumn, Fotomuseum Den Haag presents one of the largest retrospective exhibitions ever of Eva Besnyö’s work. It is composed of photographs from its own collection, the most extensive Besnyö collection in the world. Set against the backdrop of a profoundly changing Europe, the exhibition traces Besnyö’s life: from her first experiences with the camera in Budapest and her formative years in the raw Berlin of the 1930s to her life and career in Bergen and later Amsterdam, where she was part of a progressive creative network. The Second World War, which left deep scars, and her involvement with the Dolle Mina movement in the 1970s are also included. With vintage prints, archival material, magazines, and personal documents, the exhibition offers a rich picture of Besnyö’s oeuvre as well as of the twentieth century, in which political upheavals and the struggle for women’s emancipation are closely intertwined with her life and work.
“Besnyö possessed not only exceptional photographic talent but also entrepreneurial spirit. From her position as a migrant, she consistently managed to carve out a place for herself within leading artistic circles, build her own practice through photo assignments, and develop initiatives that advanced photography, including the groundbreaking exhibition Foto ’37 at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.” – Margriet Schavemaker, General Director of the Kunstmuseum and Fotomuseum The Hague
New Photography
Stylistically, a large part of Eva Besnyö’s work belongs to New Photography, a movement in which the camera was used to show the world in a new, objective, and experimental way. Surprising camera angles, strong diagonal lines, and clear compositions are characteristic of this. With a keen eye, she captures people, cities, architecture, and societal changes. Her photographs show the world as it was: modern, dynamic, and constantly in motion.
In the footsteps of a century
The exhibition traces Besnyö’s life, starting with her childhood in Budapest and her move to Berlin. Together with her then-lover John Fernhout, she exchanged Berlin for Bergen in 1932, where she formed a close friendship with her mother-in-law, Charley Toorop. Through her in-laws, she found herself at the forefront of the Dutch artistic scene. The Second World War marked a turning point in her life. The Jewish Besnyö had to go into hiding, and her work came to a standstill. In post-war Netherlands, she focused her camera on a society in transition: from reconstruction to women’s emancipation, of which her photographs of Dolle Mina have since become iconic documents. In addition to photographs and personal documents by Besnyö, a self-portrait by Charley Toorop and chairs by Gerrit Rietveld are also on display in the exhibition. This addition underscores the extent to which Besnyö was part of the artistic circle in the Netherlands during the 1930s.
Largest collection of Besnyö
In 2023, Fotomuseum Den Haag / Kunstmuseum Den Haag acquired an important collection of 341 prints by photographer Eva Besnyö. All of these photographs were printed in the darkroom by Besnyö herself or under her supervision. The collection includes, among others, the famous portrait of the little boy with the bass, portraits of artist friends such as Charley Toorop and Violette Cornelius, and the street scene taken on Starnberger Straße in Berlin with her characteristic diagonal lines.
This collection was in the possession of Iara Brusse, the daughter of Besnyö. The acquisition of the collection was made possible by a combination of purchase and donation, with support from the Erik Bos Fund.
Publication
Accompanying the exhibition is the publication of the same name, ‘Eva Besnyö – The Liberated Camera’. With text contributions by Maurits de Bruijn, Nienke Coers, Margriet Schavemaker, Iris Sikking, Lou Stoppard, and Willemijn van der Zwaan. The photobook was designed by Hans Gremmen and is published by Hannibal Books.
Biography
Eva Besnyö (1910 – Laren 2003) was born in Budapest. As a teenager, she received a camera from her father, and this proved to be a pivotal moment for the rest of her life. In Budapest, she took lessons from the renowned photographer József Pécsi, who encouraged her to leave for Berlin in 1930 to pursue photography. Due to the rise of fascism, she was forced to move to the Netherlands in 1932, where she quickly gained fame as a professional photographer. Besnyö played a crucial role in the development of Dutch photography in the 20th century. She was one of the most famous figures within the New Photography movement in the Netherlands, which was characterized by a modern, experimental approach and a focus on everyday subjects.
In addition to her artistic work, Besnyö was also socially engaged. In the 1970s, she used her photography as a means to draw attention to women’s rights. Her photographic oeuvre encompasses a wide range of subjects, varying from portraits and street photography to landscapes and abstract compositions. Eva Besnyö passed away on December 12, 2003, in Laren.
This exhibition is made possible in part by the City of The Hague, VriendenLoterij, Erik Bos Fonds, Vereniging Vrienden van Kunstmuseum Den Haag, and V-fonds.
The research preceding the exhibition and publication was carried out with the support of the Vereniging Rembrandt (thanks in part to its Fund for Research into Modern and Contemporary Art).
As summer slowly makes way for autumn, September brings another varied month of cinema to Pathé. From the return of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman in Practical Magic 2 to the tense true-story drama Pressure and a frightening new take on Resident Evil, there is plenty coming to the big screen.
Beyond the major new releases, September also has plenty for fans of music, classics and more unusual cinema. Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger goes behind the scenes of the long-awaited Oasis reunion, while Pathé’s In the Picture selection puts the spotlight on films including The Incomer and No Good Men.
A number of much-loved films are also returning to cinemas as part of the FAME classics programme, including A Star Is Born, Birdman, Singin’ in the Rain, Cabaret and Bohemian Rhapsody. And for Marvel fans, Avengers: Endgame Encore returns to the big screen later in the month.
Pathé Specials
Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger
Follows the long-awaited Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour, which brought Liam and Noel Gallagher back on stage together after more than sixteen years. The documentary takes viewers behind the scenes of one of the biggest musical comebacks in recent years, with footage from rehearsals, backstage and live performances. The brothers also tell their story together in a joint interview for the first time in more than twenty years.
Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger @2026 Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (NL). All rights reserved.
New top movies at Pathé
Pressure – 10 September
Based on a true story, Pressure follows the extremely stressful 72 hours leading up to D-Day, when decisions had to be made that could change the course of history. The film comes from the producers of the Academy Award-winning Darkest Hour.
Pressure @2026 StudioCanal (BENELUX). All rights reserved.
Practical Magic 2 – 10 September
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return as the Owens sisters in Practical Magic 2, once again entering a world of moonlit mystery and powerful ancient magic. The sisters are confronted with the dark curse that threatens to tear their family apart for good, in a new story mixing magic, chaos and humour.
Resident Evil – 17 September
Filmmaker Zach Cregger, known for Weapons and Barbarian, gives the Resident Evil franchise a new and frightening direction. The film follows Bryan, played by Austin Abrams, a medical courier whose ordinary night suddenly turns into a nightmare and a spectacular fight for survival. Also available in formats including Dolby, Atmos, ScreenX, IMAX and 4DX at participating cinemas.
Resident Evil @2026 UPI/Sony (NL). All rights reserved.
In the Picture
Pathé’s In the Picture label focuses on distinctive and compelling films that sit somewhere between mainstream cinema and the traditional film-house programme.
The Incomer – 10 September
On a remote Scottish island, a brother and sister survive by catching seabirds, telling stories about their ancestors and defending their home against feared outsiders. Their isolated world is disrupted when an awkward local government official arrives to remove them from the place where they were born.
No Good Men – 17 September
Set in Afghanistan in 2021, shortly before the Taliban returns to power, No Good Men follows Naru, the only female camera operator at Kabul’s leading television station. While fighting to retain custody of her three-year-old son, she is offered a new professional opportunity by Qodrat, one of Kabul TV’s leading journalists. As they travel through the city reporting on the final days of freedom, their relationship develops and Naru begins questioning some of her assumptions about the men around her.
FAME: classics return to the big screen
September is also FAME month at Pathé, bringing a selection of well-known films back to cinemas.
The programme includes:
Boogie Nights – from 27 August
Black Swan – from 27 August
A Star Is Born – from 3 September
Almost Famous – from 3 September
Birdman – from 10 September
Singin’ in the Rain – from 17 September
Sing (NL) – from 20 September
Cabaret – from 24 September
Bohemian Rhapsody – from 24 September
A Star Is Born – 3 September
Experienced musician Jackson Maine discovers struggling singer Ally and falls in love with her. Ally has almost given up on her dream of becoming a singer when Jack brings her onto the stage. As Ally’s career begins to take off, however, their personal relationship starts to struggle as Jack battles his own demons.
Avengers: Endgame Encore – 23 September
Marvel fans will also have another opportunity to experience Avengers: Endgame on the big screen. Following the events of Infinity War, the surviving Avengers join forces with Ant-Man and Captain Marvel in an attempt to defeat Thanos and reverse the destruction caused by the Infinity Stones. The Encore release will be shown in formats including Dolby, Atmos, ScreenX, IMAX and 4DX at participating locations.
Pathé Thuis
There are also new releases to watch at home through Pathé Thuis during September, including Minions & Monsters, a new chapter in Illumination’s animated Despicable Me universe.
Release dates and screenings may change, so check Pathé directly for the latest programme, participating cinemas and tickets.
Pathé is the first and largest cinema brand in the Netherlands, founded in Paris in 1896 by true pioneers of film: the Pathé brothers. Their aim was to share the wonderful world of film with as many people as possible. Throughout the Netherlands, Pathé has 30 locations, 253 screens and 1,900 employees. Through its wide range of films, livestreams of opera, sports and gaming, among others, the latest techniques such as IMAX, 4DX, Dolby Cinema and ScreenX, and business events, Pathé creates special and unforgettable cinema stories for all.
Disclaimer& Copyright notice
Pathé is a partner of The Hague Online, and we receive cinema tickets in exchange for sharing monthly updates and links on our website and in our enewsletter. Text is provided by Pathé in Dutch and translated into English by The Hague Online. Images are provided by Pathé. Text and images may not be copied and shared without written permission.
U2two returns to the immersive 360° Dome at Museon-Omniversum this autumn for six more performances of its spectacular U2:UV Tribute show. Following sold-out shows and enthusiastic reactions from thousands of visitors, the tribute band will return to the ‘Haagse Sfeâh’ in September, October and November.
Step once again into the magic of U2, as if you were in the legendary Sphere in Las Vegas, but much closer to home. U2two brings the energy, emotion and iconic sound of Bono, The Edge and the rest of the band with stunning precision.
This new series of shows offers fans another chance to experience a spectacular tribute in a unique, fully immersive setting.
What can you expect in Part 2? New, spectacular 360° visuals on the giant dome. Each song is once again an explosion of image and sound. A new setlist featuring different classics, unexpected gems and, of course, U2’s most beloved hits. “Next-level tribute… Tribute 2.0” – Shownieuws. This is a fully immersive experience that makes you feel as though you are truly there with the band.
New show dates:
Friday 18 September 2026
Saturday 19 September 2026
Friday 16 October 2026
Saturday 17 October 2026
Saturday 21 November 2026
Saturday 28 November 2026
Show time: 20:00, doors open at 19:30 Duration: 150 minutes Tickets: €53.50, including an interval drink Location: Museon-Omniversum Dome, President Kennedylaan 5, The Hague
Tickets for previous performances sold quickly, so advance booking is recommended for the new autumn dates.
