“Boy is an iconic work in our collection, loved and admired by many. Since he arrived at ARoS in 2004, he has become an icon not only at ARoS but on the international art scene. This loan to Voorlinden is a testament to that, and I hope our visitors will help send him off warmly to his temporary home in the Netherlands. He will be back!” says ARoS Museum Director Rebecca Matthews.

The last chance to experience Boy at ARoS this year will be August 16. After that, the 4.5-metre-high hyperrealistic sculpture will be transported to Museum Voorlinden, located just outside The Hague.

Here, it will be one of the key works in the exhibition Celebrating the Icons of Art, which brings together iconic masterpieces from around the world in honour of Voorlinden’s 10th anniversary. The exhibition opens September 12, 2026.

“It is truly an honour to welcome Boy to Voorlinden. Ron Mueck’s iconic scultures are loved by audiences around the world, and we are deeply grateful to ARoS for entrusting us with one of the masterpieces of their collection. In return, our beloved Couple Under an Umbrella will travel to ARoS, creating a special exchange that connects both our visitors and institutions,” says Suzanne Swarts,” Museum Director at Museum Voorlinden.

With the artist’s approval

Boy was created in 1999 by Australian artist Ron Mueck (b. 1958). For more than 20 years, he has been a beloved symbol of ARoS, attracting visitors time and again. It took Mueck eight months to develop the work from a roughly 40 cm clay model to the current sculpture cast in fibreglass.

Boy became part of the ARoS collection after gaining great acclaim at the Venice Biennale in 2001. Since first being displayed at ARoS in 2004, the enormous sculpture has played a pivotal role in the museum’s ambition to collect outstanding works of international contemporary art.

“ARoS and Museum Voorlinden are two of my favorite Art spaces. I’m thrilled that Boy and Couple Under an Umbrella, which are usually on permanent display in their respective homes, will be able to be seen in new surroundings by new audiences. It’s a massive undertaking to transfer and exchange these works, I can’t wait to see how they interact with their new environments,” says Ron Mueck.

Hyperrealism grandparents

While Boy is shown in the Netherlands, ARoS will borrow one of Voorlinden’s most iconic works—another lifelike sculpture by Ron Mueck.

Couple Under an Umbrella (2013) depicts an elderly couple beneath a parasol—created in exactly double human size. The work will be on view at ARoS from September 12, 2026.

Boy will be on display at Museum Voorlinden from September12, 2026 to February 21, 2027.

Boy will return to ARoS and be on display again from March 6, 2027.

About Ron Mueck

Ron Mueck (b. 1958) grew up in Australia and now lives and works on the Isle of Wight, UK. He has achieved international acclaim for his extremely lifelike sculptures, which range in scale from monumental to miniature. Despite their uncanny realism, the sculptures never reflect the motif in its natural size.

Mueck began his artistic career in 1996 and is considered one of the greatest sculptors of our time. His work builds on his earlier experience as a puppeteer and model maker in the film and TV industry. He sculpts by hand in clay before casting in various materials such as silicone and resin. His works take months, sometimes years, to complete, and his artistic oeuvre currently comprises only 49 pieces.

About ARoS

ARoS is an international art museum located in Aarhus. With six galleries and an entire floor dedicated to transformative installations, ARoS offers an important space for recalibrating the past, negotiating the present, and imagining the future through art.

ARoS’ collection contains more than 8,300 works including masterpieces by Danish and international artists. The collectoin features iconic installations such as Olafur Eliasson’s Your rainbow panorama (2011), Ron Mueck’s oversized sculpture Boy (1999), and – from June 2026 – As Seen Below – The Dome, a Skyspace by James Turrell, the largest Skyspace in a museum context.

About Museum Voorlinden

Voorlinden brings together art, people, nature, and architecture. The museum opened its doors in Wassenaar, the Netherlands, in 2016, and likes to offer worlds of imagination, where you can see, hear and feel new things.

The museum for modern and contemporary arts tends to be an oasis tranquility between four of the country’s largest and hectic cities, where people can go marvel and be surprised. The total experience of art, nature and architecture is key in the way of presenting and approaching visitors. The museum offers an ambitious international exhibition program, creates solo exhibitions with well-known artists and young talents and collaborates with renowned museums and institutions worldwide, such as ARoS.

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For further information, please contact:

ARoS Press and Communications
presse@aros.dk
+45 61 90 49 42