30|REPORTAJE tion, any lighting design would not explore the opportunities to their fullest extent”. “The Rijksmuseum is a unique pro- ject. The building is home to some of the most significant paintings in the world. We at Philips are honored and feel privileged to be the lighting com- pany that has provided all lighting for the galleries and public spaces”, added Van der Heide. “With the Rijksmuseum, Philips Lighting has shown the very best of their capabilities. The level of inte- gration of light, architecture and the overall experience is tremendous. People who visit the museum love this light; they love its simplicity, its beauty and its serenity”, affirmed. “I hope that the Rijksmuseum will inspire many lighting designers to keep on making the fantastic work they make; to create the beautiful light that make people feel welcome, comfortable and stimulated”, explai- ned Van der Heide. Experience and preservation of the artworks Lighting influences the way we look at art in a museum and is crucial to showcase every single detail of the artwork. The illumination of each art piece has been individually tuned and focused to bring out its unique features and to ensure the best possible experience for visi- tors. Tim Zeedijk, Head of Exhibitions at the Rijksmuseum outlined the reasons behind their choice: “At the heart of all the decisions we take are two aspects, the visitor’s experience of the museum and the preservation of our art. We chose LED lighting for firstly, the high quality of the light emitted, and secondly the color rendering of LED lighting, which is very close to that of daylight. This allows the art to be viewed in the best light possible to bring out all the colors and details that the artist intended us to see. LED lighting in particular outlines the visual contrast and relief in the paintings. We see this in the way we light our sculptures, but also the paintings with thick im- pasto. For example, when viewing Rembrandt‟s work, LED light re- veals more of the detail. Tim Zeedijk also added: “A signifi- cant advantage of the new genera- tion of LED lighting is that there is hardly any radiation of heat and no harmful UV beams being emitted on the art pieces, this means the art is better protected. In addition, LEDs have a longer life span and requi- re less maintenance than halogen lighting, which is more commonly used in museums. Moreover, the ease of use was also important to our curators. Philips offers a solu- tion that allows us to dim individual lighting fixtures using an iPad – so- lutions like this are indispensable in the dynamic Rijksmuseum.” The LED solution from Philips