Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Photos, Historic Netherlands architecture refurb, Famous Dutch building pictures
The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam : Architecture
Historic Arts Building in Holland renewal design by Cruz y Ortiz arquitectos, Europe
Post updated 30 July 2024
Grand Opening of The Rijksmuseum
New Rijksmuseum Opens To The Public In April 2013 Following A Ten Year Transformation
• Masterpieces from Rembrandt to Rietveld will be seen in a new light as one of the world’s greatest art collections is revealed in a striking sequence of 80 galleries.
• Over 8,000 works of art will go on show telling the story of Dutch art and history.
After ten years of rebuilding, renovation and restoration, the new Rijksmuseum will open on 13 April 2013. Never before has a national museum undergone such a complete modernisation.
picture of building west facade
post updated 2 Apr 2021 ; 15 Nov 2012
The Rijksmuseum Building
Spanish architecture firm Cruz y Ortiz arquitectos has turned the 19th-century building into a museum for the 21st century, bright and spacious, with an impressive new entrance, state-of-the-art facilities, restored galleries and a new Asian Pavilion. Parisian museum designer Jean-Michel Wilmotte has created the furnishing for the galleries, fusing 19th-century grandeur with modern design.
The presentation of the Rijksmuseum’s world famous collection is also new. For the very first time, visitors can follow a chronological sequence of 80 galleries, 8,000 works of art and objects that tell the story of 800 years of Dutch history, from the Middle Ages to the present day. Only the world famous Night Watch will be returning to its original place. The Rijksmuseum is the only major national museum in the world that will be open to the public 365 days a year.
picture of existing building
New Dutch Art Collection Presentation
The new presentation of the Rijksmuseum Collection is a journey through Dutch art and history from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the 21th century. The fascinating story of the Netherlands is set in an international context and told in a chronological sequence across four separate floors. Paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, silver, porcelain, delftware, furniture, jewellery, costumes, and objects from Dutch history and unique period rooms will be presented together for the very first time.
More than 30 galleries are dedicated to the glory of the Golden Age, when the young mercantile republic led the world in trade, science, military exploits and the arts. At the heart of this will be the magnificently restored Gallery of Honour, presenting world-famous works of art by Frans Hals, Jan Steen, Johannes Vermeer and Rembrandt van Rijn.
The Rijksmuseum will also present a new group of galleries focused on the 20th-century. Paintings, furniture, photography, posters, film and an aeroplane, will paint a picture of Dutch culture of the past century. Also on view for the first time are the Special Collections, where visitors can enjoy famous and unexpected objects from the applied arts, science and national history, including a gallery with a number of model ships and an armoury.
picture of renewed atrium
New in the Rijksmuseum
The main sponsors of the Rijksmuseum include Philips, ING and the BankGiro Loterij, who have contributed to the furnishing of the new Rijksmuseum. With their support, and that of other companies, funds and private individuals, hundreds of new objects from every field of collection and every era have been acquired over the last ten years. The new presentation of the collection showcases 123 of the newly acquired objects and works of art. Among the highlights are:
• Dutch artist Caesar van Everdingen’s oil painting ‘Augusta’ (1645-1650)
• ‘The Square Man’ (1951) by one of the founders of the 20th century Cobra art movement, Karel Appel
• An extremely rare white chair by the Dutch designer and architect Gerrit Rietveld (1923)
• The legendary ‘Mondrian’ dress (1965/66) by French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, based on the work of the Dutch artist
• Two metre-high wood sculptures of celestial warriors from Japan, temple guardians from the 14th century. A transformed building
picture of refurbished Grand Hall
The Rijksmuseum’s main building has been spectacularly renewed. Spanish architects, Cruz y Ortiz arquitectos of Seville, have recreated the clear layout conceived by the museum’s original architect, Pierre Cuypers. They have transformed the 19th century building into a bright and spacious 21st century museum. Cruz y Ortiz have created an impressive new entrance area suitable for the needs of a leading international museum, and they have also restored the high, spacious, late 19th century galleries to their former glory.
In various places, the original, richly decorated walls and ceilings have been revealed. The architects have also added a completely new structure, the Asian Pavilion. The French interior architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, whose work in the Louvre has earned him international acclaim, has selected an interior colour scheme inspired by Pierre Cuypers palette for the building, and has designed and chosen furnishings for the gallery including the display cases, plinths, lighting and furniture.
New Asian Pavilion
Surrounded by water, the glass and Portuguese stone façade of the Asian Pavilion is characterised by many sloping walls and unusual sightlines. The museum’s rich collection of Asian art is presented here in an original new way. It features objects from China and Japan, Indonesia and India, Vietnam and Thailand, dating from 2000 BC to 2000 AD. A total of 365 objects are on display, one for each day of the year. New “outdoor museum”
The Rijksmuseum has also added a large public space to the circuit, in the form of a 14,500 square metres historic garden. Based on a 1901 design by Pierre Cuypers, the museum’s architect, the garden’s new layout was created by the Dutch landscape architecture firm Copijn. The garden features several of the original formal garden styles, as well as restored statues and parts of ancient buildings. A fountain, a pond, a greenhouse, and children’s garden will soon be added to this “outdoor museum”. A Henry Moore exhibition will open in the garden on 21 June 2013, the first in an annual series of international sculpture exhibitions to be held each summer.
3 Sep 2012
The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
Grand Opening of the Rijksmuseum on 13 April 2013 after 10 years
The Grand Opening of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam will take place on Saturday 13 April 2013, with the public opening on the following day, Sunday 14 April 2013.
The renovation of the building, which took almost ten years, was one of the most significant ever undertaken by a museum. The whole museum has been renewed – the historic building has been restored and new public facilities have been created including a new Asian pavilion and a renovated garden – only Rembrandt’s most celebrated painting The Night Watch will return to its original setting.
photograph of existing building
The reopening also provides an opportunity for a major representation of the museum’s world-famous collection, much of which has not been accessible to the public for a decade. The new display will tell the story of the Netherlands from the Middle Ages to the present day.
The new Rijksmuseum building will be the first national museum in the world which will open 365 days of the year from 9 am to 5 pm each day.
The museum is currently busy moving 8,000 works of art and historical objects into the new building. The last work to be moved will be The Night Watch.
Masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age will continue to be shown in the Philips Wing until spring 2013.
The Rijksmuseum
A Dutch national museum
Address: Jan Luijkenstraat 1, 1071 CJ Amsterdam or Hobbemastraat 21, 1071 XZ Amsterdam
Contact: +31 20 674 7000
All Rijksmuseum Photos © Adrian Welch except where labelled otherwise
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam – context to west:
Location: Jan Luijkenstraat 1, 1071 CJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands, western Europe
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