Former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands attends Van Gogh Museum Golden Jubilee celebrations  

Van Gogh Museum director Emilie Gordenker presents Princess Beatrix with a sunflower (Photo credit: Jelle Draper).

Former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands was in Amsterdam on 2 June to attend the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Van Gogh Museum. Sun flowers grown by Erik Overtoom joined the party.

For this milestone anniversary, the museum’s director, Emilie Gordenker presented the former Dutch Head of State with a Takii sunflower. It was a symbolic gesture as Princess Beatrix’s mother, the former Queen Juliana also received a sunflower when she opened the museum fifty years ago.

Sunflower Art Festival Photo credit: David Stegenga Fotografie.

Earlier in the day, Takii, the museum’s headline sponsor since 2015,  hosted a 50th anniversary showcase event at the Museumplein, Amsterdam’s cultural hub, with three of its most prominent museums situated here: the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum , and the Stedelijk Museum.

The Japanese seed breeder Takii, which has made a name with its range of mildew resistant Sunrich sunflowers, invited city residents, tourists, and passers-by to pick up their sun flowers for free. Visitors had the opportunity to decorate their bicycles with sunflowers. They could also take photos at the colourful selfie wall and take sunflowers home.