A unique discovery with major news value

For Stedelijk Museum Breda, we provided the PR this year around Willem – The Price of Freedom, the major exhibition about the life and leadership of William of Orange. Simultaneously with the opening of this exhibition, the museum was given the opportunity to temporarily add a very special work to the permanent exhibition The Nassaus of Breda: a until recently unknown portrait of William of Orange, by the Antwerp master painter Adriaen Thomasz Key. A historical top piece, a unique find, and a dike of a PR trigger.

An auction find that turned out to be a masterpiece
The portrait surfaced last year at a British auction house. Dirty and of unknown origin. Only after its purchase by a Flemish art dealer and a careful restoration did it become clear that this concerns an authentic work by Key. And that is what makes it special: of this famous portrait, a total of four versions painted by Key himself are known; the three others are housed in the Mauritshuis, the Rijksmuseum, and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid.

The story that made the news
The portrait is shown at the Stedelijk Museum in Breda on the occasion of the exhibition Willem – The Price of Freedom, produced with Museum Prinsenhof Delft. And that makes the combination powerful: content, relevance, and a newly discovered masterpiece that is being shown in the Netherlands for the first time. In the painting, William wears the costume of the ruwaard of Brabant, a position he received as recognition for his leadership in the Revolt against Spain. The dating, 1583, one year before his death, makes the story even richer.

Our role
TALK ABOUT provided the PR strategy, the writing of the press release, and the distribution to art, culture, and news editorial offices. The goal: to show why this discovery is historically and culturally relevant, and why the public should come and experience this story specifically in Breda. With this, we drew, among others, the attention of  and arranged that a fine article was written.

Why this works
This project shows how strong PR can be when you bring together the right moment, the right content, and the right story. A unique find like this deserves attention, and by strategically positioning the subject, it actually receives that attention.

Stedelijk Museum Breda succeeded in adding a special piece of heritage to its collection. We were allowed to help tell that story.