2024 has come to an end and it has been another special and unforgettable year. These final days of the year, we look back on all the great exhibitions and programmes that we have organised.

2024 marks the centenary of the death of Julie de Graag. This talented contemporary of M.C. Escher managed in her woodcuts to capture the essence of plants, animals and people with just a few details. The two artists shared a great love of nature, closely observing the world around them, and depicting it in their prints, each in their own unique way.

Escher’s Belvedere (1958) is a favourite with our visitors. The print has a magical power that touches millions of Escher fans around the world. It is a mix of completely different elements. Not only the foreground of the print has been a mystery, the landscape in the background was too.

A special donation was recently made around a tile tableau by Escher with fish and birds for the Dirk Schäferstraat 59 in Amsterdam. The donation includes two never-before-seen drawings by M.C. Escher, an extensive correspondence between the people involved and family photos of the unveiling of the tile tableau.

Since the Just like Escher exhibition, the striking modular carpet from Studio Wae has been on display on the second floor. This floor covering lends a contemporary touch to Escher's legacy, above all doing so in a sustainable, circular way through the use of waste materials.

It was not just collectors and fans of M.C. Escher who acquired his work during his lifetime. Friends and family also owned prints by Escher, like this lithograph, Drawing Hands, from the estate of Antoinette Schottelius-De Ridder, better known as Tony de Ridder. Escher in The Palace recently received this work on long-term loan, and correspondence between Escher and De Ridder has, to our great delight, been donated to the museum.

Curator Judith Kadee and paper conservator Paul van der Zande did not know what they were in for, when they unframed the newly acquired White Cat by M.C. Escher. Are you curious about the story behind this extraordinary discovery? Read the Escher Today here.

The five Wadden Islands in the north of the Netherlands provide a home for locals but are also a popular holiday destination. Although part of the Netherlands, the islands feel like a foreign country, if only because of the ferry trip you have to make to reach them. Mainlanders flock to the area for the sea air or to soak up the island atmosphere. This attraction is not new: the area was already popular with holidaymakers when M.C. Escher was a boy.

Last summer, Escher in The Palace received a special donation from Escher expert and mathematician Doris Schattschneider. She donated a Koh-I-Noor tin by Verkade, inspired by the Koh-I-Noor, one of the world's most famous diamonds.

Every year is special at Escher in The Palace, but 2023 was truly one for the books. This year marked 125 years since M.C. Escher was born and that fact was celebrated far and wide. These days, we especially look back on all the wonderful exhibitions and events we had the pleasure of organising. The Escher jubilee year was celebrated with wonderful exhibitions at our museum and also at Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Fortunately, the final exhibition Just Like Escher can still be seen until the 24th of March 2024. The anniversary year was also celebrated with numerous activities in The Hague. In addition, we continued to post as many stories about Escher's life and art as possible. All the wonderful images we shared this year can be found in this special end-of-year animation. We thank everyone for their support over the past year and hope to inspire you again in 2024 with our stories and images!