What happened: In protest of the Dutch government’s coronavirus restrictions, museums and concert halls in the Netherlands temporarily turned themselves into beauty salons and gyms on Jan 19. Details: At the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, a barber and two nail artists catered to tourists among valuable works of art, and two barbers set up their chairs on the stage of the Concertgebouw in the capital. The cultural sector claims it is unfair that they must remain closed while Covid limitations on stores and so-called “contact professions” such as barbers and nail salons were eased last week. A handful of the 70-plus locations that took part in the day-long protest received enforcement notifications from Dutch authorities. “We wanted to emphasise that a museum is a safe place to visit, and we should be open,” said Emilie Gordenker, director of the Van Gogh Museum. What else: Two masked barbers were seen cutting hair on stage during the Concertgebouw event while the orchestra was playing Charles Iver’s Symphony No. 2. “After two years of patience and an ever-constructive attitude, a fair perspective for the cultural industry is long overdue,” stated Concertgebouw director, Simon Renink.