Our team colleagues

Taxidermy & Wildlife artists

We would like to introduce our team to you! We are known internationally as one of the premier taxidermy- studios and taxidermy-shops. 
 

Erwin van Zoelen

Founder/ Owner/ Qualified taxidermist
[email protected]

Driven by his passion for nature and taxidermy Erwin van Zoelen founded de Museumwinkel.com in 2010 to bring everyone a little closer to nature. He’s been cleaning and articulating skulls and skeletons since he was young and from there he started specializing in the art of taxidermy. 

When your passion becomes your profession, wonderful things happen...

Sophie Kiela

Qualified taxidermist/ Dutch Champion Taxidermy
[email protected]

Sophie Kiela was formerly a bio technician, but now she has put her heart into the art of taxidermy. She’s been in the craft since 2005, with Erwin van Zoelen showing her the ropes. She is amongst top taxidermists in the Netherlands. Sophie mostly focusses on the taxidermy of birds, but she has also specialized in the preparation of small to fox-sized mammals and insects.  in 2015 ánd in 2019, she has won the Dutch championships of taxidermy, with her mounted bird  and even being deemed “Best of Show”. 

Together with our taxidermists Rick Way and Wesley Kevenaar, Sopie Kiela received a special award for Most Artistic Entry with their stunning collective taxidermy piece, featuring 2 magpies and a wolverine, on the European Taxidermy Championships in 2018.

Nicolette Naphausen

CEO
[email protected]

Nicolette Naphausen takes care of the management of de Museumwinkel.com and, together with Erwin van Zoelen, supervises the processes in the company. In addition to her main responsibilities in running the company and setting overall product strategy, she remains actively involved in the sales, design, and product teams within the organization.

Nicolette is driving the company’s vision of Taxidermy with talent faster than ever. She holds a Master of Arts from the University of Nijmegen and she has a keen eye for quality, design and taxidermy. With her knowledge and enthusiasm on nature, she can offer extensive advice. She herself is an enthusiastic collector of modern and Victorian taxidermy .

Rick Way

Qualified taxidermist/ Dutch Champion Taxidermy
[email protected]

Rick Way specializes in the taxidermy of small and medium-sized birds. He’s been awarded twice with the title of Dutch Champion Taxidermy, clearly showing the precision and accuracy he puts into his work. 

Together with our taxidermists Wesley Kevenaar and Sopie Kiela, Rick Way received a special award for Most Artistic Entry with their stunning collective taxidermy piece, featuring 2 magpies and a wolverine, on the European Taxidermy Championships in 2018.

Rick does taxidermy the way it's meant to be done. He has a great deal of reference and hands on experience, both in the field and in the studio. Each animal is treated with a lot of respect. That is why he is often asked to do taxidermy work for collectors and museums.

Daphne Plugers- Horstink

Taxidermist
[email protected]

Daphne specializes in mammal taxidermy, particularly pets like dogs and cats. She truly gives these animals a second life. Throughout the taxidermy process, she maintains excellent contact with the client.

Born and raised in Arnhem, she studied product design at the ArtEZ University of the Arts. During the Dutch Taxidermy Championships 2019, she won the first prize with her muskrat. In the European Championships in Salzburg in 2023, she won the second prize in the masters category with her Siberian weasel, among many other awards!

During the 2024 Dutch Championships, she achieved the highest scores in all categories she participated in and brought home beautiful prizes.

She also restores the animals' colorful beauty by airbrushing them professionally.