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This Museum Is Changing How Its Visitors Experience Art (by Telling Them to Put down the Camera)

And, you know, really look at what’s in front of them.
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The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam wants people to stop taking photos of art.

It’s “a passive and superficial experience,” reads the museum’s website. “Visitors are easily distracted and do not truly experience beauty, magic, and wonder. This is why the Rijksmuseum wants to help visitors discover and appreciate the beauty of art and history through drawing, so #startdrawing!” 

The museum is further discouraging any photo-taking by hanging a big camera with an “X” through it at its entrance. The Rijksmuseum’s philosophy, which encourages alternatively sketching what you see, is: “[W]hen you do this, you begin to see things you never noticed before. You see proportions, details, lines. … You get closer to the artist’s secret,” the museum said on its YouTube channel.

On Saturday October 24th the Rijksmuseum launches the extensive campaign #startdrawing. The Rijksmuseum invites everybody to start drawing in the galleries of the museum. In this way, you get a closer look at the beauty of art. Part of the campaign is the international drawing festival The Big Draw on October 24th and 25th in the Rijksmuseum. On these days, the Rijksmuseum organises various free drawing activities. Which artwork inspires you to #startdrawing in the Rijksmuseum? #hierteekenen #bigdraw #storytelling #rijksmuseum #amsterdam

A photo posted by Rijksmuseum (@rijksmuseum) on Oct 21, 2015 at 8:18am PDT

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