A bright leaflet opens the door to a rich exhibition of curious objects, stories, and questions about collecting.
Key Takeaways
What the exhibition is
Microcosm – The World in a Wunderkammer is a large exhibition in the Drents Museum in Assen. It brings together more than three hundred unusual objects, from shells and stuffed animals to mechanical figures and new artworks.
When it happens
The exhibition opened in September 2025 and is planned to run until 1 March 2026, so it is still on view and can be visited during the museum’s normal opening hours.
Why it is special
Microcosm is the farewell exhibition of museum director Harry Tupan, born on 6 September 1958 in the Dutch town of Hoogeveen. It is built as one big “cabinet of curiosities”, mixing old treasures, new pieces, and a critical look at how collections are made.
Who is involved
Alongside the Drents Museum collection, important loans come from museums such as the Rijksmuseum and Naturalienkabinett Waldenburg and from well-known private collectors, writers, artists, and scientists.
Story & Details
A leaflet full of colour
The story begins with a small paper leaflet. On the front, a toucan with a large orange beak looks straight at the reader. Around the bird stand bright red coral branches, pearl-like beads, and silver cups with carved shells. Across this busy scene, the word “Microkosmos” is printed in big white letters, with the subtitle “The world in a Wunderkammer”. The design is playful and rich, just like the exhibition it promotes.
Inside the leaflet, a fantastic animal curls across one of the pages. Its body is long like a snake, but it also has legs and the head of another creature. Below it, a bird flies through the image. On the facing page stands a photo of the director in a room full of objects on shelves, next to a small group of fluffy preserved ducklings. The pictures show at once that this show is about nature, art, and the strange joy of collecting things.
A room-sized cabinet of curiosities
Microcosm is described by the museum as a visual spectacle. Classical Wunderkammer objects stand next to contemporary curiosities and modern visual art. Visitors can look at nautilus cups made from shells and silver, anatomical models, rare stones, and stuffed animals. One highlight is a mechanical bear that can perform tricks. Another is a tiny “dodo” figure that hints at the stories and myths around extinct species.[1][2][5]
The exhibition is arranged like a chain of small worlds. Each room or case has its own mood: one might be filled with natural specimens, another with scientific tools, and another with art inspired by far-away lands. The objects are grouped in traditional Wunderkammer categories such as naturalia (things from nature), artificialia (things made by people), exotica (objects from distant places), and scientifica (instruments and models).[1][2]
Collectors play a key role. Harry Tupan invites visitors into one big artwork made from many different collections. Well-known names from Dutch culture and science have lent pieces, including tattoo artist Henk Schiffmacher, writer and actor Ramsey Nasr, biologist Midas Dekkers, and explorer Redmond O’Hanlon.[2][4][6] Their personal choices sit beside objects from private archives and from institutions such as the Rijksmuseum and the Fries Museum.[2][4][6][7]
Farewell in a house of wonder
For Tupan, Microcosm is a personal statement as well as a public exhibition. After more than forty-five years at the Drents Museum, he steps down as general director with this show as his goodbye. Reports in Dutch newspapers describe how he searched “far and wide” for the right objects and how the exhibition marks the end of a long career that began when he joined the museum in 1980 and later became its leader.[3][7][8]
A separate museum news article notes that the opening weekend also coincides with his birthday on 6 September. Instead of a quiet celebration, he chose a hall filled with glittering shells, strange animals, and rare artworks. In this way, Microcosm is both a tribute to the history of the cabinet of curiosities and a personal salute to the province of Drenthe, which he often calls central to his life.[3][8]
Activities for different visitors
Microcosm is not only a display of objects. The Drents Museum also offers talks, tours, and special days around the show. There are free lectures that explain how cabinets of curiosities started in the houses of princes and wealthy citizens, how these private rooms later inspired the first public museums, and how modern visitors can think about the sometimes painful histories behind “exotic” objects.[5][9][10]
For children and families, the Wonderlab is an important part of the project. In this creative area, two young people from the region show their own collections. Visitors can order and rearrange a small cabinet, study unusual items, or design their own fantasy creature. The aim is to make the feeling of wonder — in Dutch, “verwondering” — part of the visit, not just something to watch from a distance.[5][10]
Short Dutch mini-lesson
A few Dutch words help to understand the spirit of the exhibition. The term “rariteitenkabinet” means “cabinet of rarities” and is close to the English “cabinet of curiosities”. The word “verwondering”, often used by the museum, means a deep feeling of surprise and curiosity. These words show that Microcosm is not a dry display but a celebration of looking closely and asking questions.
What it feels like to walk through
Descriptions in Dutch and regional media paint Microcosm as lively and sometimes even noisy for the eyes. Visitors are encouraged to move from one case to another as if walking through a storybook. There might be a tiny insect, a shining stone, and a piece of contemporary art all in one view. Reviews call the exhibition cheerful, but they also ask what exactly is seen, and what stories are not told, especially about how certain objects were taken from former colonies or distant lands.[6][11][12]
This tension is part of the design. The exhibition celebrates curiosity and beauty while also pointing out that cabinets of curiosities were once symbols of power and knowledge for rich owners. Objects were not always collected in fair ways. Microcosm invites visitors to enjoy the spectacle but also to think about who collected what, and why.
Conclusions
A living story of collecting
Microcosm – The World in a Wunderkammer turns the Drents Museum into a large, walkable cabinet of curiosities. Bright design on the leaflet, a mix of natural and man-made objects, and many different voices from science and art all come together to tell a simple but strong story: people like to collect, and collections shape the way the world is seen.
A timely visit
Because the exhibition runs until 1 March 2026, there is still time to see it while it is fresh and often discussed. For visitors, it offers not only beautiful and strange things to look at, but also a chance to think about the past of museums, the role of collectors, and the meaning of wonder in daily life.
Selected References
[1] Drents Museum – “Microcosm – The World in a Wunderkammer” (official exhibition page). https://drentsmuseum.nl/en/exhibitions/microcosm-the-world-in-a-wunderkammer-2
[2] Museum.nl – “Microkosmos – De wereld in een Wunderkammer” (exhibition listing with dates and highlights). https://www.museum.nl/nl/drents-museum/tentoonstelling/microkosmos-de-wereld-in-een-wunderkammer
[3] Drents Museum – “Wunderkammer overview marks Harry Tupan’s farewell” (news article about the exhibition and his departure). https://drentsmuseum.nl/nieuws/wunderkammer-overzicht-markeert-afscheid-harry-tupan
[4] Kijk op het Noorden – “The wonderful world of the Wunderkammer” (regional feature on Microcosm and its loans). https://www.kijkophetnoorden.nl/de-wondere-wereld-van-de-wunderkammer/
[5] Drents Museum – “NGT tour Microkosmos” (programme description, object count, and key items). https://drentsmuseum.nl/activiteiten/ngt-rondleiding-microkosmos
[6] Museumtijdschrift – “Microkosmos – De wereld in een Wunderkammer” (magazine description of the exhibition). https://museumtijdschrift.nl/tentoonstellingen/microkosmos-de-wereld-in-een-wunderkammer/
[7] Drents Museum – “Harry Tupan bids farewell to the Drents Museum” (English-language news item on his retirement and birthday). https://drentsmuseum.nl/en/news/harry-tupan-bids-farewell-to-the-drents-museum
[8] Dagblad van het Noorden – “Harry Tupan (66) leaves the Drents Museum after 45 years” (biographical facts, including date of birth). https://www.headliner.nl/item/harry-tupan-66-neemt-na-45-jaar-afscheid-van-het-drents-museum-in-assen-drenthe-is-voor-mij-het-belangrijkste-dat-er-is-dvhn-40636
[9] Drents Museum – “Free lecture Microkosmos” (overview of the public talk linked to the exhibition). https://drentsmuseum.nl/activiteiten/gratis-lezing-microkosmos
[10] Drents Museum – “Do day Microkosmos” (family activities and Wonderlab description). https://drentsmuseum.nl/activiteiten/doedag-microkosmos
[11] DagjeWeg – “You cannot believe your eyes in Microkosmos” (visitor-oriented preview). https://www.dagjeweg.nl/nieuwsredactie/27452/Wauw%2C-dat-dit-bestaat%21-Je-weet-niet-wat-je-ziet-in-Microkosmos
[12] de Volkskrant – “Microkosmos is a cheerful cabinet of curiosities in the Drents Museum” (review and critical questions). https://www.volkskrant.nl/tentoonstellingen/microkosmos-is-een-vrolijk-rariteitenkabinet-in-het-drents-museum-maar-wat-zien-we-nou-eigenlijk~b176ee49/
[13] Drents Museum YouTube channel – playlist with the short video “Microkosmos – De wereld in een Wunderkammer – Drents Museum”. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwqAuTNoJUWWl33Osb2mpgHT60lDXHIqO
Appendix
Cabinet of curiosities: A historical type of private collection in which a wide mix of natural specimens, artworks, scientific devices, and oddities are displayed together in one room or cupboard to show knowledge, taste, and power.
Drents Museum: A museum in the city of Assen in the Dutch province of Drenthe, known for exhibitions on archaeology, art, and history and for combining an old historic building with a modern underground extension.
Harry Tupan: A Dutch art historian and museum director, born on 6 September 1958 in Hoogeveen, who worked for more than four decades at the Drents Museum and created Microcosm as his farewell exhibition.
Microcosm: The exhibition “Microcosm – The World in a Wunderkammer”, presented by the Drents Museum from September 2025 to March 2026, which uses more than three hundred objects to explore the idea of a cabinet of curiosities and the practice of collecting.
Wonderlab: A creative area linked to Microcosm where visitors, especially children and families, can see small personal collections, design their own creatures, and experiment with arranging their own miniature cabinet of curiosities.
Wunderkammer: A German word that literally means “room of wonders” and is often used in Dutch and English to describe early cabinets of curiosities filled with rare, beautiful, or strange objects from art, science, and nature.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 