Janine van den Ende Appointed Officer of the Order of Orange Nassau

Early this morning Janine van den Ende was appointed Officer of the Order of Orange Nassau. The award was presented by the local mayor, Mark Röell, in the name of the king, at her home in Baarn in the presence of husband Joop van den Ende, their children Iris and Vincent, Janine's mother, and her brother Frank.

Janine received the royal honour for her personal commitment to the arts and culture in the Netherlands and the positive, energetic manner in which she has inspired others to transform their plans and ideas into tangible results. She has achieved much of this from her position as board member and founder-together with her husband Joop-of the VandenEnde Foundation, which was established in 2001. In addition to her support to the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Dutch National Ballet, the Amsterdam Concert Hall, Foam Photography Museum and the Holland Festival, Janine has also been a driving force behind the awarding of hundreds of scholarships to young talents in culture, enabling them to further develop their artistic talents. Until last year, she was a jury member and chair of the Johannes Vermeer Award, the State Prize for the Arts.

Janine is also a passionate promoter of photography as an important contemporary art form. Aside from Janine's many public contributions to the art world, in her private life she has played a quiet but not to be underestimated role in the development of Parc Spelderholt, which was created to help young people with intellectual disabilities.

A surprised Janine van den Ende: 'I was completely floored by this award. It is a very emotional moment for me. I feel proud and honoured to have received this award in our home from the hands of our mayor.'