In 1944, Menno de Groot, then a 13-year-old boy, experienced the hidden lives of people sheltered in The Hague's Mauritshuis museum as others faced forced labour conscription. His recollections come to life through a new exhibition detailing this secret history. The discovery of a logbook kept by de Groot's father, who managed the museum, prompted research into wartime experiences. This narrative highlights both resistance and survival tactics during a time when seeking refuge was an act of daring amidst oppression.
The memories of 93-year-old Menno de Groot, a Dutch-Canadian who was that young boy, form an extraordinary part of a book and an exhibition of the secret history of the Dutch museum during the second world war.
People were hiding in November 1944 because of the Arbeitseinsatz, but hiding in the Mauritshuis was hiding in plain sight, Quentin Buvelot, a researcher and curator, said.
The chance find of a logbook by de Groot's father, Mense de Groot, an administrator who from 1942 lived in the Mauritshuis museum with his wife and children, including Menno, inspired researchers to examine the museum's history.
Wilhelm Martin, the director of the Mauritshuis museum, quietly resisted by removing artworks from the museum during the Nazi occupation.
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