Postcard Art Exhibit Netherlands 2026 Opens This Weekend
- 6 hours ago
- 7 min read
After months of planning, organizing, photographing artwork, processing registrations, answering emails, receiving postcards from around the world, and designing the catalog, opening weekend is finally here.
This Saturday and Sunday, more than 1,000 artworks from 52 countries will fill the walls of our exhibition space in The Hague as we celebrate the opening of Postcard Art Exhibit Netherlands 2026.
For all of us on the team, this exhibition has been about far more than art. It has been about people.
This year's exhibition benefits Blijft je bij, a remarkable program at Museum Beelden aan Zee that serves individuals living with Alzheimer's and dementia, along with their loved ones and caregivers.
When I first learned about the program, I was deeply moved by its simplicity. Participants gather together to look at and discuss works of art. They share memories, observations, stories, and emotions. Through these conversations, connections begin to emerge. A sculpture sparks a forgotten memory. A painting invites reflection. Caregivers often witness moments of recognition and engagement that can feel unexpectedly precious.
As artists, we understand that art has the power to move us. But programs like Blijft je bij remind us that art can also comfort, connect, and help people find one another again.
One of the most moving things I learned while researching this program is that studies have shown that viewing art can activate some of the very same emotional centers of the brain associated with love and attachment. Perhaps that is why these experiences feel so powerful. Art reaches places that words often cannot.
That is what makes this year's exhibition so meaningful.
Every postcard hanging on these walls represents an act of generosity from an artist somewhere in the world. Together, our global community has created something far greater than an exhibition. We have created a collective gesture of compassion and hope.
Exhibition Schedule
Saturday, June 6, 2026
VIP Preview Reception & Pre-Sale13:00–14:00 CEST
Ribbon Cutting & Opening Speeches14:00 CEST
Grand Opening to the Public 14:00–17:00 CEST
Sunday, June 7, 2026
Public Exhibition Hours 12:00–17:00 CEST
A Quick Note About RSVPs
If you're planning to attend the VIP Preview Reception on Saturday, we would be grateful if you could RSVP through our website by June 5 at midnight (CEST).
An RSVP helps our volunteer team prepare everything ahead of time: name badges, welcome information, and details about any reserved cards, so that your arrival is smooth and easy.
Will you still be welcome if you forget to RSVP? Absolutely.
However, once registration closes on June 5, our team will begin finalizing preparations for opening day. Guests who RSVP in advance will be able to move through check-in much more quickly, while those registering at the door may need to wait a bit longer while we prepare their materials.
We know many of you are traveling from near and far to join us, and we're simply trying to make the experience as enjoyable as possible for everyone.
For Sunday's public exhibition hours, no RSVP is needed at all. Just come by, enjoy the artwork, and spend some time with us.
Our Artists Are Our Guests of Honor
At the Postcard Art Exhibit, the artists are at the heart of everything we do.
More than 1,000 artists from 52 countries have generously donated their artwork to help support people affected by Alzheimer's, and we are honored to celebrate their contributions this opening weekend.
Participating artists who RSVP for free General Admission are automatically invited to attend the VIP Preview Reception & Pre-Sale on Saturday from 13:00–14:00 CEST. There is no need for artists to purchase a VIP ticket to attend.
Artists are also welcome to bring their guests to enjoy the VIP Preview Reception free of charge.
VIP tickets are intended primarily for collectors and supporters who would like early access to reserve artwork during the preview hour. VIP ticket holders also receive a glass of bubbles and the opportunity to reserve up to four art cards before the exhibition opens to the public.
For our participating artists, simply RSVP and join us. We look forward to welcoming you and celebrating the extraordinary generosity, creativity, and compassion that made this exhibition possible.
Looking Ahead to the Online Sale
Many artists have been asking when the online sale will open.
The answer is:
June 10, 2026 at 18:00 CEST (The Netherlands)
June 10, 2026 at 12:00 PM EDT (Eastern USA)
June 10, 2026 at 9:00 AM PDT (Western USA)
Right now, we are still busy preparing the individual shop pages to represent each artist's card donation. Rest assured, all cards will be represented in time for us to open online sales on the 10th.
After opening weekend, we will carefully update our inventory to reflect any artworks sold during the in-person exhibition and pre-sale. Once that process is complete, cards that have sold at the venue will be marked as Sold in the online shop. The online gallery will continue to serve as a lasting record of this year's exhibition until our next Postcard Art Exhibit event, showcasing both the artworks that found new homes and those that will be donated to Museum Beelden aan Zee in support of our cause.
For participating artists, the online gallery in our webshop will be the best place to follow the journey of your artwork. Until the online sale opens on June 10, all cards will temporarily appear as Unavailable while our team updates inventory following opening weekend.
Once those updates are complete, artworks that sold during the exhibition or pre-sale will be marked as Sold, while any remaining artworks will become available for purchase online. We know many artists will be eager to see how their artwork is doing, and the online gallery will be the most accurate and up-to-date place to check its status.
With more than 1,000 artworks in this year's exhibition and a relatively small volunteer team working behind the scenes, we kindly ask artists to check the online shop rather than sending individual messages asking whether their card has sold. We simply don't have enough hands to answer hundreds of individual inquiries, but we will do our very best to keep the online inventory current and accurate.
Thank you for helping us make that possible.
As I write this, I'm sitting with an espresso at a small café table on a brick-lined street in The Hague, just a short walk from the sea. The sounds of bicycles, conversation, and city life drift past, and I find myself smiling at the simple fact that after more than a year of planning, I'm finally here.
For so long, this exhibition existed only in our imaginations and through paper trails.
It lived in spreadsheets and shipping confirmations, in late-night emails and video calls, and in the quiet concentration of artists working in studios around the world. One by one, postcards began arriving from places both familiar and far away, each carrying with it not only a work of art, but also a small act of generosity.
Now, somehow, all of those miles, all of those stories, and all of those individual acts of kindness have converged here, in this beautiful corner of the Netherlands.
In a couple of short days, the walls will be filled with art. Visitors will gather. Stories will be shared. Connections will be made. And what began as hundreds of individual acts of creativity will become one collective expression of compassion.
Moments like this remind me why we do this work.
More than 1,000 artists from 52 countries chose to create something, package it, and send it across oceans and borders in support of people they may never meet. That generosity continues to inspire me.
To every artist, volunteer, sponsor, collector, and supporter who helped bring this exhibition to life: thank you.
And to those of you joining us this weekend in The Hague, we cannot wait to welcome you.
See you soon.
The 15th Anniversary Catalog
We're also delighted to share that pre-orders for our Postcard Art Exhibit Netherlands 2026 Catalog remain open through our website on our shop page.
This special 15th Anniversary Edition features nearly 800 artworks from this year's exhibition and serves as a lasting record of the extraordinary creativity and generosity of our participating artists.
We're especially excited to report that the first pre-order copies have already begun making their way to supporters in the United Kingdom, thanks to the efforts of our dedicated volunteer, Sarah Pooley, who is helping coordinate fulfillment there. We look forward to getting catalogs into the hands of supporters around the world in the coming weeks.
We would also like to acknowledge participating artist Charlie Hunter, whose postcard donation, "Remnant", appears on the cover of this year's catalog. We are honored to feature his artwork as the cover image for this special 15th Anniversary Edition.
When ordering, please choose the supplier closest to your shipping destination. Once you enter your address during checkout, available shipping options and estimated delivery costs will automatically be displayed.
Visitors attending the exhibition may also choose to pick up their catalog in person during opening weekend at SeeLab or arrange to collect it from Tessa Maagdenberg's studio in the days following the exhibition.
A roster of artists represented in the catalog is also available on our website for those who would like to browse the artist list before ordering.
While we would have loved to include every donated artwork, the realities of production deadlines made that impossible. This year, we received an incredible 1,030 donated artworks from artists around the world. Of those, 1,005 artworks will be exhibited during opening weekend, with additional late-arriving donations available for visitors to browse from a special collection bin at the venue.
Because the catalog had to be finalized well before the exhibition opened, only artworks received prior to our production deadline could be included. To every artist who contributed, whether your artwork appears in the catalog, on the exhibition walls, or in our additional collection, we are deeply grateful for your participation and support of this cause.
Carole Gray-Weihman
Executive Director
Postcard Art Exhibit Netherlands 2026
