Van Barneveld swaps the oche for the art studio: five-time world champion to star in Dutch TV portrait series

Raymond van Barneveld is set to make a very different kind of appearance — and this time, it won’t be in front of the dartboard. The five-time world champion will be one of the headline guests in the new season of Sterren op het Doek (Stars on Canvas), a long-running Dutch television series that combines intimate interviews with live portrait painting.

The popular show, produced by broadcaster Omroep MAX, invites three artists to paint well-known public figures while they open up about their lives, careers and personal struggles. At the end of each episode, the guest chooses one portrait to take home. The series is presented by Özcan Akyol, one of the Netherlands’ most respected interviewers.

For Van Barneveld’s episode, cameras headed to his hometown of The Hague for a setting that offered sweeping views over the city skyline. There, the 58-year-old opened up about sides of his life rarely seen in the darts world — from dealing with fear of failure and the pressures of fame, to his deep connection with his children and grandchildren.

The unveiling of the portraits takes place in a venue every Dutch person knows by name: the Mauritshuis, the world-renowned museum in the centre of The Hague, home to masterpieces like Girl with a Pearl Earring. Ironically, Van Barneveld revealed he had never visited the museum before this shoot. One of the three portraits will be his to keep.

“Raymond van Barneveld is a five-time world champion and a true icon of darts,” Omroep MAX said in a statement. “At a stunning location in The Hague, he speaks with rare honesty about his career, his fears, and his love for family. The unveiling at the Mauritshuis adds a special touch to an already remarkable story.”

Van Barneveld’s episode will air on Saturday 29 November at 8.40 p.m. (local time) on Dutch broadcaster NPO 2. Other famous faces set to appear in the new season include presenter Carrie ten Napel, actress Jennifer Hoffman and TV host Ruben Nicolai.

For fans around the world, it’s another reminder that Barney remains one of darts’ most fascinating and multi-dimensional figures — as comfortable reflecting on life in front of a canvas as he once was hitting double tops on the biggest stages in the sport.