Summer has definitely said goodbye and blustery September is here but, spring-like, cultural greenery is sprouting everywhere, so there is plenty to compensate for those margueritas on the beach. Well, almost

Take a guided tour of the occupied city (and bring a chair)
The façade of the Rijksmuseum will feature a 34-hour version of documentary film Occupied City, by British filmmaker Steve McQueen based on his wife Bianca Stigter’s Atlas of an Occupied City, Amsterdam 1940-1945.

Parks, streets and squares that have witnessed atrocities under the Nazis take on an extra layer of meaning as we traverse their innocuous, present-day versions. The projection will be shown without sound and on a continuous loop from September 12 to January 2026. It can also be seen in the auditorium of the museum during visiting hours. Website

Spot a conspiracy
Leiden’s Nacht van Ondekkingen (A Night of Discovery) combines art, music, science and theatre at several venues, including the area around the country’s oldest botanical gardens.

Debates, workshops, and lectures centre around art and science. In short, there is plenty to learn and enjoy, including the slightly alarming Future Botanica by Polymorf which allows visitors to design new plants digitally. There’s room for laughter as well as comedian Lisa Loeb and political scientist Daniel Paarlberg combine forces to dissect the world of conspiracy thinking with “This can’t be a coincidence”. September 20. Website

Dance around the world
Paradiso in Amsterdam is celebrating Richenel, the Dutch artists who cut a swathe through the world of music and fashion in the1980s. Dj Eddy De Clercq, Fatima-Zohra Buurman, Gunnar Indiana Smith and John Oldenstam will among those rendering homage. September 21. Website.

If you can’t get tickets to the concert, there is also an exhibition featuring his musical, visual, and creative work. September 15-27 at the Kyas Art Salon in Amsterdam (by appointment only) Website

Combine Chagall and Lalique
The Lalique museum in Doesburg is worth a visit for its own collection of art nouveau masterpieces but it has now added to its attractions with an exhibition of paintings by French painter Marc Chagall.

Chagall the colour poet celebrates the painter’s evocative use of bright colours but is mainly concerned with the themes in his work, such as his close relationship with his mother and religion. Until June 21, 2026. Website

Join the Fashion Army
The role of dress in the military is the subject of the timely Fashion Army at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam. It shows nothing as ornate as the sometimes operatic uniforms beloved by tinpot dictators but focuses on a series of unadorned photographs from the archives of the American army.

The photos date from the end of the 1960s to the beginning of the 1990s and, according to Matthieu Nicol who found them, the clothes are presented in a sober style, reminiscent of the lookbooks of big fashion houses. A series of 50 photos show the apparent importance of military clobber and its influence on mainstream fashion. Until December 7. Website

Discover the world of an Amsterdamse Joffer
The Luther museum in Amsterdam has put into the spotlights on one of the Netherlands’ most intriguing artists. Lizzy Ansingh ( 1875-1959) was a member of the Amsterdamse Joffers, or Amsterdam Misses, a group of painters who despite their differences in style formed a female bastion in the predominantly male art scene of the time.

Ansingh is famous for her portraits and above all her mysterious  paintings of dolls. The museum has brought together 30 of her paintings, writings and never before seen documents and photos. There is also the charming children’s tea set she designed for Société Céramique. The Magic World of Lizzy Ansingh is on until September 21. Website

Ask a councillor
The Hague is organising a meet and greet for international residents and entrepreneurs who want to quiz their local councillors about local politics and how they can navigate their way around the bureaucratic hurdles they may encounter. The councillors also want to pick your brain for ideas and gripes but before things can get nasty, there are snacks and drinks to smooth the way. September 24. Website

Get a taste of Japanese culture
Camera Japan is celebrating two decades the biggest showcase of Japanese culture, film, and food. On offer are 19 films, ranging from the best and latest Japanese arthouse, anime, LGBTQ+ and classic films. Did we mention food? September 24 – 28 (Rotterdam) and October 2-5 (Amsterdam). Website

Vote for art
In the run-up to the elections, the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam is dedicating its Vincent on Friday spot to the political role of art, from artists inspired by the women’s movement and the environment to migrant artists telling their stories. Films, podcasts, and discussions and dj Sef await. September 26. Website

Wear a Van Erpen if you dare
The Kunsthal in Rotterdam has brought together over 100 creations by celebrated designer and artist Iris van Erpen. Intricate, technically accomplished, inspired by nature and science, any wearer of a van Erpen must be conscious of the responsibility of contributing to a work of art. From September 27. Website

Meet the canal dwellers of Amsterdam
Wildplassers or shouty students in a boat are not among the Animals of the Canals documented at the beautiful Grachtenmuseum in Amsterdam. Instead, there are displays of a variety of animals which have whimsically been given human and even Amsterdam traits.

The ring-necked parakeet is the noisy neighbour while the swan is swanning around and the bullhead is a night owl. Hundreds of birds, fish and mammals have found a home in the canals, and some coots have bigger houses than students. But then they are not obliged to rent from the rats. Until November 23. Website 

See how new technology likes old prejudices
The bluntly titled Women as Technology shows how new technology, traditionally dominated by men, is used to objectify women and keep them “in their place”. Hence, women as sex machines, breeding machines, homemakers and calculators (women did most of the calculations which formed the basis for computing).

Examples of all four, including sex robots who accommodate every whim and Lexie, the ever-patient and caring class assistant, pose the question of how this technology perpetuates the idea of subservient women. Until October 26 at the Den Bosch Design Museum. Website