The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has teamed up with Dell Technologies to digitise its entire collection of 1.1 million artworks, making it accessible to all by 2023.
In 2012, the Rijksmuseum became one of the world’s first museums to make its entire collection accessible through the Rijksstudio website. Dell’s storage solutions will enable the institution to continue this process.
The project aims to make art and history accessible to everyone, with the Rijksmuseum offering the most extensive Rembrandt collection in the world.
“The Rijksmuseum is open to all,” said Rob Hendriks, head of IT at the Rijksmuseum.
Collection accessible to all by 2023
“That’s why we are digitising our entire collection and making it available to a worldwide audience – we’re aiming to achieve the same quality and experience as you would have visiting the museum itself,” he added.
“To do that, we’re pushing at the boundaries of what’s possible. That’s how we’ve been able to let the whole world enjoy the most detailed-ever image of ‘The Night Watch’. As our technology partner, Dell plays an important part in this.”
The digitised collection will be made available via Rijksstudio and the companion app, allowing remote users to view, download and share it in high resolution.
The museum in the Netherlands will use storage, virtualisation and server solutions while digitising the collection, and is supplying Dell Technologies laptops, desktops and monitors to its staff.
Artworks made available via Rijksstudio
“Our goal at Dell Technologies is to stimulate progress, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to be able to guide the Rijksmuseum – the pride of our nation – through its digital transformation and help increase the reach of its collection, bringing art closer to people all over the world,” said Isabel Moll, VP and general manager at Dell Technologies in the Netherlands.
“Our end-to-end-portfolio means we are able to help the Rijksmuseum across the board, from the major IT challenges involved in digitising more than a million artworks, to smaller issues like providing curators, conservators and other staff members with the laptops they need.”
The Natural History Museum also aims to digitise 80 million objects in its collection, which could boost the UK economy by £2 billion.
Images: Rijksmuseum
