Belgian Stephan Vanfleteren (1969), one of the most acclaimed photographers of the moment, has been commissioned by the Mauritshuis to create new work. This will be on display from April 23 in the exhibition Pentimenti – Stephan Vanfleteren among the Masters. Sixteen photographs, fifteen of which are new, are inspired by 17th-century paintings from the museum collection and are shown among the masterpieces. Vanfleteren was previously involved with the Mauritshuis during the anniversary exhibition FLASH | BACK (2022). The impressive photograph he took at the time, inspired by Rembrandt’s The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632), is now also on display again.
Pentimenti is an Italian word which literally translated means “repentance” or ‘’mistakes’’. Vanfleteren observes that nowadays there is little room for regret or revisiting one’s decisions. Coincidentally, the word is used in the world of art to describe when a painting has been altered, reworked or over-painted. Vanfleteren places pentimenti in a broader perspective, highlighting regrettable periods or incidents in human history. He says, “It is a pity that pentimenti is so rarely seen on the political or military stage,” perhaps demonstrating that history is always written by the victors. He continues, “Whether it’s a cold-hearted Tsar pushing young Russians into the trenches, or a Zionist keeping a war grinding on just to save his own skin . . . no one regrets their misdeeds.” So how does this manifest itself at Mauritshuis?
Martine Gosselink, Director of the Mauritshuis, asked Vanfleteren to re-examine the museum collection with the aim of establishing a visual dialogue between the present and the past. Together, they walked through the museum’s 16 galleries, searching for the hidden meanings, lessons, and messages that paintings from four centuries ago can convey to us. What intentions lay behind these masterpieces at the time? What remains of the ideas and visions the artists wished to capture back then? And what significance do these paintings hold for the world today? Vanfleteren’s photographs engage in a conversation with the paintings, offering a 21st-century interpretation of 17th-century icons. This creates a fascinating contrast for visitors.
Vanfleteren has taken a unique photograph for each room of the museum that captures the essence of one specific painting or theme. This gives the visitor the opportunity to view the old paintings through the eyes of the photographer and gain new insights. Within the context of painting, he refers to corrections that artists made to their paintings during the painting process. Vanfleteren takes the word pentimenti literally as well: what mistakes have become visible throughout the history of humanity, on both the micro and macro levels? In this way, he challenges the classic works and captures them anew in a way that brings them back to life. In his photographs, he plays with reflection, contrast, and symbolism, which deepens the meaning of the original artwork.
The exhibition is accompanied by a remarkable book: Vanfleteren and Gosselink corresponded with each other during the creative process. This exchange of letters has been compiled into a book of letters. They wrote to each other about the Mauritshuis collection, art in general, and the value and significance of artworks – but also about the world around them. The book is an intimate account of their exchange of thoughts on the artworks, their significance in the contemporary world, and the hidden stories concealed within the paintings. The letters reveal their views on art and their views on life, differing as man and woman, as Fleming and Dutchman, and as creator versus administrator. And so, a book of letters has been created that serves not only as an account of the Mauritshuis collection and history, but also as a personal exchange between two people operating in very different fields within the art world.
Stephan Vanfleteren, known for his raw and honest photography, has always captured the vulnerability and beauty of humanity and life. His work touches upon themes such as life, death, the power of nature, and the reciprocity of our existence. Vanfleteren is internationally recognized, and with this exhibition, he adds a new layer to the rich history of the Mauritshuis through his own deeply personal vision of 17th-century painting.
The exhibition is not for the sensitive – there are pictures of a severed hand, a dead dog and horse so some may find this difficult to view.
Pentimenti – Stephan Vanfleteren among the masters 23 April 2026 – 23 August 2026
Sherika Rooplal-Clappers is a contributing writer for The Hague Online, covering culture, lifestyle, and local events. With a passion for storytelling and international perspectives, she highlights the people, places, and experiences that make The Hague a dynamic city.
The tradition of celebrating the Dutch monarch’s birthday dates back to 1885, when Princess Wilhelmina’s fifth birthday was marked with national festivities. It was originally called Prinsessedag, then became Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day) as the Netherlands was ruled by queens for much of the 20th century — first Wilhelmina, then Juliana, then Beatrix. Queen’s Day was famously celebrated on 30 April. When King Willem-Alexander took the throne in 2013, the holiday was renamed Koningsdag and the date shifted to his actual birthday: 27 April. The House of Orange-Nassau connection also explains the sea of orange — the colour has long been a symbol of the Dutch royal family.
King’s Day in The Hague
The Hague has a particularly special relationship with the day, given its status as the royal city.
The vrijmarkt (free market) is the heart of it all — markets scatter across the city, with everyone from kids to grandparents selling old treasures, performing, or just soaking up the atmosphere.
Find bargains at the free market
Some of the best spots:
Belgisch Park
Belgisch Plein & Stevinstraat — neighbourhood charm, good mix of sellers
Frederik Hendriklaan
Statenkwartier — lively, popular with families and young crowds
Noordeinde
Near the palace — a bit of royal atmosphere alongside the stalls
Keizerstraat, Scheveningen
Beach vibes, more relaxed pace — good if you want sea air with your bargain hunting
The Life I Live Festival
King’s Night takes place the night before, on 26 April. The centre will once again be transformed into one huge festival site. This free city festival brings together local pride and top national acts for a night full of energy and musical discovery. This year, Lange Voorhout will feature two stages with energetic and moving performances, with a Silent Disco (in collaboration with PAARD) at the centre, whilst Kerkplein (in collaboration with PIP) is the place for electronic beats. At the Hofvijver and at Popdistrict on the Grote Markt (Sniesterstage), the party kicks off with live music in all styles — from hypnotic soundscapes to raw guitars.
King’s Fair
Currently on until 27 April, Malieveld will once again be transformed into a grand Royal Fair with attractions for young and old — something for everyone at an affordable price.
Hollands Live Festival
Billed as the largest Dutch-language festival in South Holland, Hollands Live is held at Zuiderpark. The vibe is distinctly Dutch — think sing-along pop and schlager music with a very orange, very gezellig crowd. The line-up features artists like Gerard Joling, Mart Hoogkamer, Monique Smit, and Django Wagner — all big names in mainstream Dutch pop and Nederlandstalige (Dutch-language) music.
Fancy a unique King’s Night? Come aboard the Willemsvaart and celebrate on The Hague’s canals. You can book a boat trip for up to 23 people — for more information or to book, email info@willemsvaart.nl.
So what do you need to make the most of the celebrations?
Dress in orange. Stores like Hema will have everything you need to get kitted out — including accessories for your furry friend too.
Bring cash to the vrijmarkt if you plan on shopping, and get there early to find the good stuff.
King’s Night is one of the rare occasions when you are allowed to walk the streets with your own drinks, so grab a cooler or backpack if you’re looking for a more affordable option. Food and drinks will also be available for purchase throughout the night.
Eat a tompouce. Several bakeries make them orange to mark the occasion, and no King’s Day is complete without one.
There’s your King’s Day survival guide — enjoy it. Living in The Hague for this one is genuinely special. 🧡
Venue provided complimentary drinks during Sherika’s visit for this feature. The Hague Online retained editorial control, and the views expressed are the writer’s own
As a wine lover, the first countries that come to mind when thinking about wine are the classics: France, Italy, South Africa, Chile. But after sitting with Ofran Badakhshani, the owner of De Filosoof wine bar, I learned about the true history of wine.
Wine is a story. Nowhere is that truer than in Persia, the civilisation we now know as Iran, where wine was not simply consumed but revered. Long before it reached Europe, it was woven into the very fabric of Persian life — into its religion, its rituals, and most enduringly, its poetry. The great Sufi poet Rumi used wine as a metaphor for the soul’s journey toward God, describing spiritual ecstasy as being drunk on something far beyond the earthly. Omar Khayyam filled his celebrated Rubaiyat with it, using each glass as a quiet argument for living fully in the present. And Hafez, perhaps the most beloved poet in the Persian tradition, wrote about wine with a provocation that was as much political as it was spiritual — raising a cup, in many ways, against rigidity itself. It is one of history’s more poignant ironies that the country which gave the world its oldest confirmed traces of winemaking — clay jars from the Zagros Mountains dating back over seven thousand years — is today one where wine cannot be legally produced or consumed. Before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran had close to 300 wineries. Now it has none. The culture remains, pressed into the pages of its literature.
This history is personal at De Filosoof. Ofran, who grew up in Amsterdam, originally studied philosophy and was later offered a role at Delft University — unpaid, as it turned out, which prompted him to think seriously about his next move. Beyond philosophy, what did he know deeply? Wine. And so he began to explore how the two might come together. In 2014, he started hosting art history and philosophy discussions shared over a glass, bringing together a small community of intellectuals that grew steadily over time. Of Persian descent himself, Ofran introduced this community not to French or Chilean pours, but to wines from Bulgaria, Moldova, and Greece. There was hesitation at first — these were unfamiliar regions, unfamiliar grapes — but over time, Ofran earned their trust, and the wines spoke for themselves. Restaurants in The Hague couldn’t fully tell the stories behind bottles like these; most owners know France and Italy and little else. And so what had begun as a gathering became a destination. De Filosoof wine bar opened in 2019.
Built from the ground up by Ofran, his girlfriend, and his mother — the three of them doing much of the work with their own hands — the bar had barely found its feet when Covid arrived. When the world eventually quietened down, they opened their doors fully, and something quietly remarkable happened: different cultures began to flock in. Brazilians, Turkish, Dutch — strangers sitting side by side over a shared glass, the noise of the outside world briefly held at bay. What Ofran has built is not simply a beautiful bar that serves delicious wine and food. It is a space where background becomes secondary, where the common ground is a well-chosen bottle and the willingness to be curious. At a time when many world leaders are pushing division, De Filosoof makes a gentle case for the opposite — that we can sit with our fellow humans, talk, and remember that at the end of the day, we all carry the same hopes for ourselves and the people we love.
With over 500 wines available by the glass — many sourced from conflict zones including Lebanon — there is something quietly radical about the place. It almost makes you wonder what could be resolved if more of the world’s decision-makers sat down together over a good bottle.
De Filosoof hosts regular events each month: new wine launches, performances by Persian musicians, tastings, and evenings centred on literature and art. I attended the launch of Château Heritage’s new Brut — the first sparkling wine from Lebanon from a house currently ranked 33rd best in the world. Bursting with crisp green apple, juicy pear, and zesty citrus, it is exactly the kind of wine you reach for when there is something worth celebrating.
Food is very much part of the experience too. Small bites are on offer, and I tried Ofran’s mother’s famous aubergine dish, Burani — fresh tomatoes served with yoghurt and coriander. It was fragrant, light, and completely at home here. The Kufta followed: spiced meatballs with ginger, paprika, and warm spices, slow-cooked in a fresh tomato sauce. With my eyes closed, I could have been somewhere else entirely — somewhere much warmer, and further away from the Dutch cold.
So, can world peace be achieved over a glass of wine? That may be a loaded question and one we cannot answer simply. But after seeing so many different people come together to enjoy brilliant food, wine and art, it does make you think.
Check out De Filosoof’s website and Instagram for information on future events. De Filosoof can be found on Molenstraat 16.
Images: Sherika Rooplal-Clappers and De Filosoof
Do you have a story about your own café, restaurant or bar in the city? Reach out to sherika@thehagueonline.com to possibly be featured.
Sherika Rooplal-Clappers is a contributing writer for The Hague Online, covering culture, lifestyle, and local events. With a passion for storytelling and international perspectives, she highlights the people, places, and experiences that make The Hague a dynamic city.
Venue provided complimentary food and drinks during Sherika’s visit for this feature. The Hague Online retained editorial control, and the views expressed are the writer’s own
I believe there are very few things a good cup of tea or coffee and a slice of cake can’t fix. I happened upon Adore Cake Atelier while scrolling through Instagram one day and knew I had to make my way there as soon as possible to satisfy a cake craving that had been building for a while.
The owners, Daria and Anastasia, are two young and enthusiastic Russians who came to The Hague around eight years ago and connected on having similar backgrounds — only to later discover they had both attended the same university in Finland several years prior (talk about fate!). The two clicked and a lovely friendship blossomed. Anastasia was working in corporate with baking as a hobby, while Daria was a home baker, and around two and a half years ago they decided to turn their shared passion into something real. The dream of opening a café was no longer just a dream.
The initial idea was to have a smaller takeaway-only space, but they decided to go big. If it scares you, then you know you should go for it — that was their philosophy, and the pair bravely took on the daunting process of setting up their business even though they were nervous. Finding the right size, neighbourhood, and space was no easy task, but just as luck would have it, they found their spot at Kepplerstraat 125. Daria recalls sitting in that very space years earlier — it was a lunchroom back then — and envisioning a café of her own. Well, the universe was clearly listening, because that same spot is now what she proudly calls her work home.
With a charming corner entrance and plenty of space inside, the café has a welcoming, calm atmosphere. The best sellers are the blueberry and poppy seed cake — tart, fluffy, and just the right amount of sweet — the honey cake, a beloved Slavic recipe and a labour of love, made up of several thin, caramelised pecan layers sandwiched with a tangy, rich frosting (my personal favourite), and the raspberry red velvet. I also tried the mango and passion fruit cheesecake, which was smooth and creamy with the perfect jiggle.
They have recently introduced weekend breakfasts with both Danish and Nordic-style options, ideal if you’re in the mood for something savoury. The drinks menu features seasonal creations, with current offerings including a pistachio latte, raspberry mint tea, and a coconut vanilla iced latte. They also love dreaming up creative limited-edition cakes — a Bridgerton-inspired creation was on the menu when Season 4 of the hit series launched recently. Keep an eye on their Instagram for the next special treat.
The duo also take custom orders for birthdays, weddings, and other special occasions, as well as last-minute cakes for those forgotten anniversaries. And if you’ve ever wanted to learn the craft yourself, they offer cake decorating workshops too. With a terrace also on the way this spring, there’s never been a better reason to pay Adore Cake Atelier a visit. Open everyday except Tuesdays, add this spot to your upcoming weekend plans to satisfy your sweet tooth craving.
Images: Sherika Rooplal-Clappers and Adore Cake Atelier
Do you have a story about your own café, restaurant or bar in the city? Reach out to sherika@thehagueonline.com to possibly be featured.
Sherika Rooplal-Clappers is a contributing writer for The Hague Online, covering culture, lifestyle, and local events. With a passion for storytelling and international perspectives, she highlights the people, places, and experiences that make The Hague a dynamic city.
‘It is a celebration of our love, of our life together. Of all the amazing people we met and the fact that we can express all our ideas through photography, through digital manipulation has been endlessly inspiring.’ – Inez & Vinoodh
Featured image above: courtesy of Kunstmuseum
The brand new exhibition at Kunstmuseum Den Haag: Can Love Be a Photograph, is a major retrospective celebrating the forty-year career of the legendary, Dutch-born photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. If you’ve picked up a glossy fashion magazine, chances are you’ve seen their work.
This monumental exhibition—consisting of 18 rooms—looks back on the life and creative partnership that these artists have shared since 1986. As pioneers in the field of digital imaging, Inez & Vinoodh occupy a unique position at the intersection of fashion and art, from which they continually push the boundaries of the medium of photography.
Images below: Sherika Rooplal-Clappers
In addition to their artistic work, Inez & Vinoodh have created influential campaigns for leading fashion houses such as Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel for decades, and have had global stars like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Barack Obama, Brad Pitt, and Billie Eilish in front of their cameras.
To this day, the couple are driven by the conviction that a photograph is not a fixed entity, but a malleable surface. The duo pioneered digital image manipulation in the 1990s. For them, this remains the ideal tool to continue developing an image even after the photograph has been taken.
To celebrate the fortieth anniversary of their joint artistic practice, Kunstmuseum Den Haag has invited Inez & Vinoodh to look back on their shared creative lives. The galleries are arranged thematically, with the tension between reality and construction as the common thread. In their works, they create a seductive and alienating world. They challenge you to rethink beauty and authenticity, and to question how identity is formed and experienced.
Above all, Inez & Vinoodh view photography as the ultimate act of love. In their images, it is not so much the subject, but the driving force. Love flows between the artists and their models, bringing the photographs to life from within. After four decades of collaborating, experimenting, and shared authorship, Inez & Vinoodh reveal a simple, clear truth: love can actually be a photograph.
What struck me most after seeing the exhibition, standing in those rooms, was how familiar so many of these images felt — faces and compositions I had absorbed through the pages of fashion magazines for years, now suddenly alive at a scale that stops you in your tracks. Seeing them in person transforms them entirely; what reads as sleek editorial on a printed page reveals itself, in real life, as something far more raw and emotionally charged. These are not just photographs — they are proof that beauty, when made with love, has a way of staying with you long after you have left the room.
Book
The eponymous photobook has been published accompanying the exhibition. In addition to dozens of photographs by Inez & Vinoodh, this book contains contributions by Michael Amzalag & Mathias Augustyniak, Guus Beumer, Francesco Bonami, Pamela Chen, Donatien Grau, Margriet Schavemaker, and Willemijn van der Zwaan, as well as a conversation with Tilda Swinton.
This beautiful edition, designed by MM (Paris) and published by Hannibal Books, is available in the museum shop.
Can Love Be a Photograph – 40 Years of Inez & Vinoodh is on view from 21st March to 6th September 2026.
Images: Sherika Rooplal-Clappers and Kunstmuseum Inez & Vinoodh
Sherika Rooplal-Clappers is a contributing writer for The Hague Online, covering culture, lifestyle, and local events. With a passion for storytelling and international perspectives, she highlights the people, places, and experiences that make The Hague a dynamic city.
Venue provided complimentary food and drinks during Sherika’s visit for this feature. The Hague Online retained editorial control, and the views expressed are the writer’s own
Born out of a love for a New York classic, Netherlands Bagels opened on Korte Molenstraat a few years ago when the original American owner couldn’t find a decent bagel anywhere in the city.
Tucked away on a quiet street, you can expect freshly baked, boiled bagels, homemade drinks, and an all-around wholesome atmosphere. The space feels earthy, warm, and unpretentious — an ideal post-walk stop or low-key meet-up spot.
The menu (which is also 100% halal) features loose bagels in a variety of flavours, including the Everything bagel, cheesy jalapeño, and sesame, alongside salads and sweeter options like blueberry and raisin. You choose a filling — such as salmon and cream cheese or chicken club — then pick which bagel to pair it with. I tried the Bodega (cheese, beef bacon, and scrambled eggs) on an Everything bagel: filling and chewy, just as any good bagel should be. I also tried their sweet bagel, which changes daily — on this occasion, a cinnamon flavour. Both were hearty and flavourful, delivering a taste of New York that will satisfy even the most dedicated bagel enthusiast.
The space was sold to the new Ukrainian owners last year, who have since added desserts to the menu — think honey cake, cheesecake, and cookies. On a sunny day, I’d highly recommend grabbing a takeaway and heading to the nearby Palace Gardens. Pick up some drinks, make it a picnic, and you’ve got a lovely way to spend a weekend afternoon in the city.
Images: Sherika Rooplal-Clappers
Do you have a story about your own café, restaurant or bar in the city? Reach out to sherika@thehagueonline.com to possibly be featured.
Sherika Rooplal-Clappers is a contributing writer for The Hague Online, covering culture, lifestyle, and local events. With a passion for storytelling and international perspectives, she highlights the people, places, and experiences that make The Hague a dynamic city.
