November 9 2021 - 11:00 AM
The Rijksmuseum and Dell Technologies have a shared mission to make art and history accessible to all. In the coming two years, we will work together on the further digitising, preserving and opening up of the Rijksmuseum collection. Dell will also be supplying the technology and facilities for data management and smart working during and after the pandemic.
Rob Hendriks, Head of IT at the Rijksmuseum: The Rijksmuseum is open to all. That’s why we are digitising our entire collection and making it available to a worldwide audience – we’re aiming to achieve the same quality and experience as you would have visiting the museum itself. To do that, we’re pushing at the boundaries of what’s possible. That’s how we’ve been able to let the whole world enjoy the most detailed-ever image of The Night Watch. As our technology partner, Dell plays an important part in this.
Isabel Moll, Vice President & General Manager Dell Technologies The Netherlands: Our goal at Dell Technologies is to stimulate progress, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to be able to guide the Rijksmuseum – the pride of our nation – through its digital transformation and help increase the reach of its collection, bringing art closer to people all over the world. Our end-to-end-portfolio means we are able to help the Rijksmuseum across the board, from the major IT challenges involved in digitising more than a million artworks, to smaller issues like providing curators, conservators and other staff members with the laptops they need.
In 2012, the Rijksmuseum was one of the first museums in the world to make its collection accessible to all through Rijksstudio, a website developed with the support of Vrienden Lottery players. Dell’s storage solutions will make it possible to continue this process and, by 2023, digitise the entire collection of 1.1 million artworks – including the most extensive Rembrandt collection in the world. The images will be made available via Rijksstudio and the Rijksmuseum App which is made possible with support from our chief sponsor, KPN, and developed in association with KPN, Fabrique, Q42 and Movin. So everyone, wherever they are in the world, can view, download and share the museum’s entire digitised collection in high resolution. To realise this ambition, the Rijksmuseum will be using a variety of storage, virtualisation and server solutions, as well as supplying Dell Technologies laptops, desktops and monitors to its staff.
The Rijksmuseum’s technology partner Dell is also playing an important part in Operatie Nachtwacht, the biggest ever research and restoration project devoted to Rembrandt’s most famous masterpiece. The scans and photographs that have been made of every square millimetre of the painting are being stored and processed using artificial intelligence and machine-learning technology supplied by Dell Technologies’ storage solutions, providing the restorers with more information about Rembrandt’s working method and the paint he used. This places the restorers and AkzoNobel, the Rijksmuseum’s main partner for Operation Night Watch, in a better position to assess how best to treat and conserve the painting for the future. This technology also makes it possible to offer the public the opportunity to follow the restoration process live, and to zoom in on every detail of The Night Watch.
The Rijksmuseum intensified its collaboration with Dell Technologies to ensure its staff could continue working and achieving their goals remotely so they could continue the important research and conservation work during the pandemic while also welcoming in virtual visitors.
