When a professor retired, a portrait was often made. That is why most universities have a collection of professor portraits. So does VU Amsterdam.
The first portraits were donated in 1920 from the estate of founder Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920). They were a painting by Kuyper himself and a copy of a portrait that he had commissioned from his friend and co-founder F.L. Rutgers. The portraits were hung in the Senate Room at Keizersgracht 162. Later, more paintings were added and until 1950, the collection gave an almost complete overview of the professors of VU Amsterdam. After that, mainly rectors and deans were portrayed, and there was no longer a central policy. But the tradition still lives on; the latest painted portrait is from 2021 and the latest photograph from 2022.
Female professors
Until 2010, there was only one portrait of a female professor in the collection. Since then, several faculties have had (only) female professors portrayed. The discussion about portraying professors (who exactly and in what way) is one of the interesting points of this collection. And how do you present this collection? Is a wall of historical professors and administrators, especially at VU Amsterdam, mostly male and white, still an image of our time? In 2020, the exhibition "How to... Portray a Professor?", in cooperation with the feminist network WO&MEN@VU. There is no one-size-fits-all conclusion, and conversation remains the most important thing. Would you like to contribute to this? Or do you have other questions? Please contact the curator.