Grounded matter

All They Had – Design and Experience

The exhibition All They Had is built around the stories of Jacoba van Heemskerck and Marie Tak van Poortvliet, their collaboration, ideals, and shared pursuit of art, spirituality, and a better world.

The color scheme of the exhibition is inspired by summer, the season in which the women often met and exchanged creative ideas. Warm, light-permeable tones guide visitors through the galleries and enhance the intimacy and energy of their bond.

All the furniture in the exhibition is specially designed: robust, heavy wood reflecting the holistic and sustainable mindset of their time. The galleries are adorned with silk curtains; Jacoba van Heemskerck kept silkworms and spun silk herself, making the materials and design closely connected to her personal practice and spiritual experience. This setting invites visitors to reflect and creates a tangible connection to the world of Van Heemskerck and Tak van Poortvliet.

Paintings, drawings, and stained-glass works are displayed alongside works by contemporaries such as Mondrian, Kandinsky, and Marc, making the women’s international network and pioneering role in modern art palpable.

The exhibition design emphasizes themes such as feminism, sustainability, queerness, and mental well-being, allowing visitors not only to experience the art but also to engage with the spiritual and holistic vision of Van Heemskerck and Tak van Poortvliet.