معرفی
Dr. Caro Verbeek is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art and Culture, History, Antiquity at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She serves as an embedded researcher of olfactory heritage across multiple institutions including VU Amsterdam, the Rijksmuseum, and International Flavours & Fragrances. With over a decade of experience in curating exhibitions and conserving collections (including prints, drawings, and scents), Verbeek specializes in sensory art and education across museums, art academies, and universities.
Her research interests encompass olfaction, sensory history, tactilism, synaesthesia, heritage reconstruction, and cultural memory. Verbeek has pioneered approaches to documenting ephemeral sensory history and has created numerous olfactory tours and interventions for major museums including the Rijksmuseum, Van Abbemuseum, Bijbels Museum, and Amsterdam Museum. Her work bridges art history with sensory science, focusing particularly on reconstructing historical scents and developing methodologies for sensory documentation in cultural heritage contexts.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on reconstructing historical sensory experiences, particularly related to Dutch cultural history. Her work spans from the Dutch Golden Age (examining what Rembrandt might have smelled) to royal history (the scents surrounding William of Orange) and avant-garde art movements (Futurism and Surrealism). Verbeek consistently applies interdisciplinary approaches, combining art history, museum studies, chemistry, and sensory science to create tangible sensory experiences from historical sources.
- Art & Olfaction Awards (2015)
- Public Appreciation Award (2nd) (2012)
- Public Appreciation Award for Museumnight (2012)
- Story-lines at the Van Abbemuseum: Inhaling Art (2014)
- VCAS-VU Talent Award (2020)
Verbeek supervises various research projects focused on sensory heritage, including "Marinetti and Futurism: a manifesto for a new world," "Big Questions in the Senses," and "Knowing by Sensing." She teaches 'The Other Senses' at the Royal Academy of Arts The Hague and serves as curator-in-chief of the olfactory culture program 'Odorama' at Mediamatic Amsterdam. Her work extends to public engagement through radio programs like 'De nacht van... Caro Verbeek,' where she explores the importance of scent in past, present, and future contexts. Verbeek also serves as a conservator at Kunstmuseum Den Haag (since 2021) and as an advisor for immaterial heritage projects at Mondriaan Fonds.
