Thirteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

In 2019, during the three-year program of the Flemish Masters, the Flemish government put Pieter Bruegel the Elder in the spotlight. With two original paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in its collection, Museum Mayer van den Bergh played an important role in this festive year. One of the focal points was a writer in residency-program organized by the museum to take place in the run-up and during the so-called `Bruegel year’, which aimed to introduce broader audiences to Bruegel’s celebrated and newly-restored Mad Meg-painting, one of the museum’s center pieces. This study discusses how the museum found an ally in the well-known Flemish writer Jeroen Olyslaegers, who is a long time enthusiast of Bruegel and Mad Meg, and clarifies the broader strategy and vision behind this program. More specifically, the review covers several (artistic) interventions Olyslaegers undertook within the confines of his residency, including the creation of a personal audioguided walk through the collection, a documentary, and ‘conversation piece’-nights with the public. It also discusses how these interventions deal with the multiperspectivity of art works and raised questions on the role of museums as places of knowledge and truth. Finally, it clarifies how the writer in residency-program allowed the museum to reach broader audiences and was mutually beneficial for the audience, the author, and the museum.