RELICS

New exhibition at Art Zoo Museum

This April, Art Zoo Museum, a TIME World’s Greatest Places pick for 2026, will open its first temporary exhibition: RELICS. Marking a global premiere, the exhibition represents over a decade of work by the acclaimed taxidermy artist duo Darwin, Sinke & van Tongeren, the creators of Art Zoo Museum.

Fossils as Sculptural Art

RELICS is a collection of giant fossils, transformed into contemporary artworks. The collection stands as an artistic ode to remains of a long-lost era and invites reflection, reverence and admiration for the beauty and fragility of nature; an enduring theme in the practice of Darwin, Sinke & van Tongeren.

Ferry van Tongeren next to a Basilosaurus in the studio of Darwin, Sinke & van Tongeren.

Baroque, coral, steel and velvet

RELICS pioneers the intersection of Baroque art and prehuman history, set under a magnificent painted ceiling by Dutch master Jacob de Wit within Art Zoo’s monumental 17th century canal house in Amsterdam. Contrasts between soft velvet, hard fossilized bone, dipped steel coral, and exposed steel frameworks conceptually link the sculptures.

Sculpture of a Diplodocus vertebra.

A new perspective on dinosaur fossils

RELICS was created using dinosaur and other fossil remains that are tens of millions of years old. Among other pieces, the collection boasts a reimagined fifteen-meter-long Basilosaurus (45 million years old), a Mosasaurus (70 million years old) and a Triceratops skull (67 million years old).

The remains were discovered and prepared under the direction of renowned paleontology institute ZOIC, supported by Art Zoo Museum’s collection curator and dinosaur expert Iacopo Briano. ZOIC and Briano granted the artists complete artistic freedom.

Iacopo Briano:

“RELICS is not about revival or scientific reconstruction. RELICS is a matter of beauty”

Ferry van Tongeren, Iacopo Briano & Jaap Sinke next to a Triceratops skull

RELICS opens to the public on April 17th 2026 and will run through November of ’26.

About Art Zoo Museum

Art Zoo Museum opened its doors on one of Amsterdam’s distinguished canals in June 2025. Since its opening, the museum drew significant attention as a private art initiative in The Netherlands and abroad. In March of 2026, TIME selected Art Zoo Museum as the first Dutch museum ever for their annual ‘Worlds Greatest Places’ list.

At Art Zoo Museum, the awe-inspiring taxidermy art of the internationally acclaimed artists collective Darwin, Sinke & Van Tongeren takes on an almost theatrical quality. Feathers shimmer, muscles tense and lifelike eyes seem to follow your every move. From inside towering aviaries, you’ll witness a world where animals reign supreme: timeless still lifes infused with the grandeur of 17th century Dutch masters. From vibrant birds and coiling snakes to majestic crocodiles and even a T. rex: it feels as if they could spring back to life at any moment.

A serene historic garden offers ample space for reflection (and playing children). Art Zoo Museum invites people of all ages who enjoy being enchanted by beauty.