As a mannerist the work of van Heemskerck is plenty interesting and intriguing; it is however not well known to a wider audience. Because we could not rely on iconic imagery we worked on visual translations that would both introduce the work of van Heemskerck, while simultaneously emphasise the different themes that would be shown in the three different museums. The Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem shows the works of van Heemskerck early in his career, together with work of his contemporaries. The Teylers Museum in Haarlem shows a big selection of prints on paper that van Heemskerck sold to the general public. The Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar shows the work that van Heemskerck made after his very influential trip to Rome, where he was inspired by seeing Rafael and Michelangelo at work.

This variety needed to be captured in the campaign images and sewn into the different exhibition designs. We looked into combinations of paper prints and cut-outs of his paintings, emphasising the themes, techniques and humanity that were all part of his works. To bring the work of the 15th century painter into the 21st century a lot of new bright and sparking colours were introduced, mimicking the very bright and expressive nature of his paintings. Next to the colour scheme we embedded a modern and outspoken typographic treatment. This facilitated continuity and identity throughout the campaign and the three different exhibitions.

The idea to use multiple artworks and colour schemes resulted in a lot of different interventions; from big blow-ups on museum walls, either as an introductory wall or as exhibition dressing. Next to the blow-ups we designed a wide array of assets, such as time-lines, text labels, vitrine stickers and a custom CSI hallway in the Frans Hals Museum where the restoration process is shown in depth.