One of the most culturally rich cities in the world, the Netherlandish capital of Amsterdam boasts an impressive range of museum spaces large and small. Many celebrate the city’s longstanding reputation as a center for cultural excellence, while others are dedicated to the rebellious, revolutionary, and ambitious people who made the city their home. We take a look through a handful of the finest museums in Amsterdam, and the treasures they hold inside.
Rembrandt House Museum
The Rembrandt House Museum celebrates the life and work of Rembrandt van Rijn, one of the greatest masters of the Dutch Golden Age. The artist lived and worked in this building for 19 years, making many of his finest works of art here, before being forced to leave due to financial problems. Each room celebrates a different aspect of the artist’s life, from an etching attic to his painting studio, along with intimate spaces showcasing his collections of rare antiquities, offering rare insight into the life of the man behind the art.
Rijksmuseum
Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum presents more than 800 years of Dutch art, spanning the 13th century to the present day. The collection boasts more than 35,000 art objects by some of the renowned voices in the history of art, many of whom lived and worked in the Netherlands, including Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, Franz Hals, Vincent van Gogh, and Piet Mondrian. The museum also houses works of art from across the globe, including an Asian collection on display in their Asian Pavilion. Along with their permanent collection, Rijksmuseum has a rolling display of temporary exhibitions, featuring rare artworks and antiquities on loan from major museums worldwide.
Stedelijk Museum
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The Stedelijk Museum is dedicated exclusively to cutting-edge modern and contemporary art and design. They house around 100,000 original art objects by internationally renowned artists and designers from around the world, spanning the late 19th to the early 21st century. Highlights in the collection include works of art by Andy Warhol, Willem de Kooning, Wassily Kandinsky, Vincent van Gogh, Keith Haring, and Gilbert & George, along with design work by Theo van Doesburg and Alvar Aalto.
Van Gogh Museum
Housed in the airy and spacious Rietveld Building (designed by Gerrit Rietveld and completed in 1973) and the Kurokawa Wing (completed by architect Kurokawa in 1999), the Van Gogh Museum holds the largest single collection of artworks by Vincent van Gogh in the entire world, along with many of his most intimate letters. They also showcase work by the artist’s contemporaries, including the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, making this the ideal one-stop shop for dedicated fans of early 20th century art.
Anne Frank House
Established in 1957, the Anne Frank House offers a fascinating slice of European history. This house was once the hiding place for the remarkable Jewish Anne Frank and her family for two years during World War II, and she wrote her famed diary while remaining confined within a secret hidden part of the building, known as the Secret Annex. The museum displays Anne’s checked diary, along with quotations, photographs, and film footage from the time, which recreate the atmosphere Anne and her family were forced to endure during this brief period in history.
Millions of visitors flock to the museum every year, and booking must be made online in advance, with a specified date and time. Be warned, however, the building is not accessible for wheelchair users, due to its typically Dutch “bone breaking stairs,” as Anne Frank described them.
EYE Filmmuseum
Commonly referred to as “the cinematic memory of the Netherlands,” EYE Filmmuseum is a must-see institution for movie buffs and cinema goers. It is the Netherlands’ only institution established exclusively for film and moving image, managing more than 55,000 films in genres across the board which span from the days of early cinema to the present day. The vast and elegant museum is situated today on Amsterdam’s IJ harbor, a slick, space-age looking building designed by Delugan Meissl Associated Architects and completed in 2013. The site holds four cinema rooms and an exhibition space, along with workshop spaces and a restaurant, and their emphasis is on providing greater preservation and accessibility for all kinds of film.
