Escher in the Palace

Information

Explore the infinite and impossible works of Escher

Escher in the Palace is a museum dedicated to the works of Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher. Housed in the historic Lange Voorhout Palace, the museum holds the largest permanent collection of works from the tessellations and optical illusions master.

The museum is housed in the former Winter Palace of Queen Emma of Holland. It is the only public building in The Hague where the original royal ambiance of a palace has been maintained.

Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) was a genius at drawing impossible situations. When taking a closer look at Escher's work, it becomes clear that his illustrations are mathematical masterpieces of optical illusions. In one of his most famous works, Waterfall, water flows uphill and the towers are put together incongruously. Other works show birds metamorphosing into fish and figures that endlessly walk up and down the staircase in the same courtyard.

The exhibition in Escher in the Palace combines unique works of art with biographical material including photographs, letters, and preliminary sketches. Escher mainly worked with printing techniques such as woodcut, lithography, mezzotint and tessellation. On the second floor, the question 'What is an optical illusion?' is presented. Here visitors can discover the ‘Escher experience’ by learning about reflection, perception and perspective.

In the museum's MC Café visitors can enjoy a cup of coffee or a nice meal in the former kitchen of Queen Emma. It is the perfect way to wrap up a day of amazing discoveries.

Can birds morph into fishes in a blink of an eye? Can reflections mirror our souls? Evoke a sense of wonder and unravel the infinite mysteries of Escher in the palace.