Arts and Culture: Contemporary Art in a Global Perspective

This programme proved to me that applied art and design was the right direction for me. I did a research internship at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, where I had my first opportunity to put my research experience into practice. Another big advantage of this internship was the chance to meet a lot of good contacts: one of these was Uniquole, a project consultancy that organises exhibitions on Dutch applied art and design.

While completing my master's thesis, I joined the company as art historian and project assistant. I recently started to work at the Stedelijk Museum as research assistant, where I carry out research on different objects in the collection. Both these positions give me every opportunity to apply my research skills. The good work ethic that I acquired during my study, as well as the ability to handle deadlines, are skills that are important assets in my work today.

The Design and Decorate Art Studies programme was a good introduction to the different subjects that form part of my specialist field. I would recommend this master's to everyone who is interested in applied art and design. There is an immense amount of knowledge available within Leiden University. The excellent training that I received during my study from true specialists taught me a lot about the objects that I am now seeing in my everyday work."

This 'global' aspect is a must in the world of today with its enormous wealth of art production. Moreover, students also want to know how Western art relates to other art traditions. Also, science plays an important role in our master's programme.

In the present-day, very changeable world of art, there is room for many new forms and concepts. Artists, for example, raise such issues as the extent to which man can be moulded, and they make us look differently at political and ethical questions. What does art say about the times we live in?

We also incorporate into the master's unique museum collections in Leiden, from Naturalis and Stedelijk Museum de Lakenhal, to the University Library with its special collections. For us, the close relationship between art, science and material culture is key to the study of art history. We are constantly making cross-overs.”