From September 26, 2025 to June 28, 2026 Museum Het Schip presents the exhibition Women of the Amsterdam School highlighting the often-overlooked work and lives of female artists within this movement. With many works shown for the first time—ranging from textiles and ceramics to graphic design and architecture—the expressive, colorful exhibition showcases both their diverse oeuvres and the turbulent world in which they were created.
Famous and Hidden Talent
The exhibition, expressively designed by set and costume designer Tatyana van Walsum, tells the story of three women: Margaret Kropholler, the first female architect in the Netherlands, graphic artist Tine Baanders, and sculptor Louise Beijerman. In addition, it highlights textile designer Marie Kuyken, craftswoman Cathrien Bogtman, painter Else Berg, dancer and choreographer Gertrud Leistikow, and Grietje Kots, who was not only a mask, puppet and marionette maker but also a painter and draftsman.
Pioneers in Art and Architecture
The women of the Amsterdam School were true pioneers. Margaret Kropholler, for example, came up with ideas for combining housing, shops and leisure in one building—a concept that Le Corbusier would make world-famous forty years later under the name Unité d'Habitation. Louise Beijerman mastered a discipline considered too heavy and therefore unsuitable for women: sculpture. Ceramicist Lea Halpern experimented with different types of glazes with expressive results. These and many other examples of female pioneering are highlighted in the exhibition.
Socialism and Feminism
The works also introduce the period in which these women were active: the interwar years (1918–1939), a time when conservative views clashed with progressive ideas. We revisit the landmark exhibition “The Woman 1813–1913,” explore the world of the expressionists, and shed light on the roles women played in the art world of the 1920s and 1930s.
Contemporary Perspectives
The exhibition also features video portraits of five women currently working in art, architecture and feminism. Liesbeth van der Pol (Dok Architecten), Talisa Harjono (owner of queer café Saarein), Arna Mackic and Lorien Beijaert (Studio LA), and Cristina Flores Pescorán (artist) reflect on the exhibition and explain how its stories and themes relate to their own experiences and professional lives. A monumental site-specific work by Pescorán will also be presented. In this way, themes of the past are connected to pressing issues of today, encouraging visitors to do the same.
This exhibition is made possible by:
