During the period of enforced closure due to measures to counteract the spread of the coronavirus infection, the Hermitage–Amsterdam is actively pursuing a policy of engaging potential visitors in the museum’s virtual programmes.
As part of the exhibition “Tsars & Knights. The Romanovs’ Love Affair with the Middle Ages”, which opened in Amsterdam in early November 2020, but was obliged to close on 3 December and still remains closed, the Hermitage–Amsterdam Centre in collaboration with the world-famous LEGO Group announced a competition for creative works made with LEGO bricks on the topic of the exhibition. Knightly tournaments, mediaeval castles, legends of the olden days – the participants were free to interpret the theme as their imagination suggested.
Interest in the competition exceeded the organizers’ expectations – 75 entries were submitted! It must be said that practically all of them were made to the very highest standard, and it was no easy task for the competition jury to make a selection.
Those invited to serve on the jury were specialists from the LEGO Group – LEGO©Certified Professionals, winners of the televised competition LEGO Masters 2020 and also Lies Willers, the designer of the exhibition “Tsars & Knights. The Romanovs’ Love Affair with the Middle Ages”. The jury chairman was Pieter Eckhardt, the curator of the exhibition on behalf of the Hermitage–Amsterdam Exhibition Centre.
From the 75 entries, twelve were selected in three categories – “Majestic Castles”, “Knightly Scenes” and “Fairy-Tale Figures”.
First place in the “Majestic Castles” category went to a work by Yvonne Strijbos – The Castle of the White Lion, made using more than 65,000 pieces of LEGO!
First place in the “Knightly Scenes” category went to the Smolders family, father and son, for their creation entitled A Knightly Tournament in the Novgorod Kremlin.
Finally, in the “Fairy-Tale Figures” category, first place was awarded to the work by Gonneke Prak, who gave her composition the title The Tale of the Friendly Dragon.
All twelve works selected by the jury, including those awarded first place in each category, will be presented to the press and public after restrictions are lifted and the exhibition begins running again. They will occupy a place of honour on the balcony of the Hermitage–Amsterdam Exhibition Centre while the exhibition “Tsars & Knights. The Romanovs’ Love Affair with the Middle Ages” is on.
