Wu Zetian: The Only Female Emperor of China has won an award at the prestigious Exhibition Prize. The exhibition received third place — a remarkable recognition of the quality and success of this acclaimed show. It also marks the first time that a museum in Friesland has secured a spot in the top three of this national award.
The award ceremony took place on Wednesday, 15 October, at Kunsthal Rotterdam. Denise Campbell, Curator of Asian Ceramics at the Princessehof, accepted the prize from Cathelijne Broers, chair of the jury and director of the Cultuurfonds. The first prize went to Anselm Kiefer, a joint exhibition by the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and the Van Gogh Museum.
Voting
For the 2025 Exhibition Prize, ten exhibitions were nominated by a professional jury. After the nominations were announced, it was up to the public to cast their votes. The Princessehof launched an enthusiastic campaign to encourage as many people as possible to vote. The exhibition Wu Zetian received an impressive 12 percent of the total 17,000 votes — a record number for the Exhibition Prize.
The public vote resulted in the following top three: Anselm Kiefer – Sag mir wo die Blumen sind (Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam), followed by Bronze Age. Fire of Change (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden), and Wu Zetian: The Only Female Emperor of China (Keramiekmuseum Princessehof, Leeuwarden).
Rare Chinese Masterpieces
The exhibition told the fascinating life story of Wu Zetian (624–705), the first and only female ruler in nearly two thousand years of Chinese imperial history. From 26 October 2024 to 25 May 2025, visitors to Leeuwarden were able to admire rare Chinese masterpieces of exceptional quality, many of which are seldom loaned out. With this exhibition, the National Ceramics Museum Princessehof fulfilled a long-cherished ambition.
With more than 50,000 visitors in just seven months, Wu Zetian became the best-attended exhibition in the museum’s history, even surpassing the record set in 2018, when Leeuwarden was European Capital of Culture. The exhibition was made possible through the generous support of, among others, the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands and the Province of Fryslân.
Currently on view at the Princessehof is Bouke de Vries: UNBROKEN – another audience favourite. The exhibition on the British-Dutch artist, who transforms broken ceramics into meaningful artworks, received four stars from NRC Handelsblad.
About the Prize
The Museumtijdschrift Exhibition Prize is an annual public award recognising exceptional exhibitions in Dutch museums. In 2025, the prize was presented for the seventh time. With this award, Museumtijdschrift draws attention to the high quality and diversity of exhibitions across disciplines – from art and history to design, archaeology, and fashion. In 2024, the prize went to Ai Weiwei – In Search of Humanity at Kunsthal Rotterdam.
Wu Zetian: The Only Female Emperor of China was realised in collaboration with Art Exhibitions China, Henan Administration of Cultural Heritage, Luoyang Museum, Longmen Grottoes Academy, Luoyang City Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, Zhenjiang Museum, Gongyi Museum, Henan Museum, Yanshi Museum, Xin’an Museum, and Palatina Cultural Group.
The exhibition was made possible with the generous support of the Province of Fryslân, the Mondriaan Fund, the Municipality of Leeuwarden, the Cultuurfonds, Angela E, Stichting St. Anthony Gasthuis, Leeuwarder Ondernemersfonds, Stichting Zabawas, and Stichting Het Nieuwe Stads Weeshuis.
Partners of the Princessehof include the Ottema-Kingma Foundation, the Friends of the Princessehof Ceramics Museum, and Club Céramique.
The Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Municipality of Leeuwarden.
