t The light and airy space that houses the museum’s shop
C9 ⌂ Museumplein 10 v 2, 3, 5, 12 # 10am–6pm daily (to 10pm Fri) ∑ stedelijk.nl
Built to house a collection left to the city by Sophia de Bruyn in 1890, the Stedelijk Museum became the national museum of modern art and design in 1938, displaying works by artists, such as Picasso, Matisse, Mondriaan, Chagall and Cézanne, and designers, including Rietveld, Wirkkala and Sottsass.
t The light and airy space that houses the museum’s shop
The museum is housed in two contrasting spaces. The Neo-Renaissance main building was designed by A W Weissman (1858–1923) in 1895. The façade is adorned with turrets and gables and with niches containing statues of artists and architects, including Hendrick de Keyser and Jacob van Campen, architect of the Koninklijk Paleis. The Stedelijk’s modern addition – the Benthem Crouwel Wing – opened in 2012. The giant “bathtub” appears to float, given its continuous glass walls at ground level; it remains a love-it-or-loathe-it addition to the city’s architecture.
Inside, both spaces are ultramodern, providing the perfect backdrop for the museum’s 90,000 modern and contemporary artworks. The collection represents virtually every artistic movement of the 20th and 21st centuries, including examples of the De Stijl, Pop Art and CoBrA groups. It also houses a small group of works by Post-Impressionists, including Van Gogh and Cézanne, to highlight the late 19th century.
The museum holds collections from present-day artists in a larger exhibition space, with a restaurant and a terrace overlooking Museumplein. The museum also stages performances and film screenings.
t The futuristic Benthem Crouwel Wing – or the “bathtub” – illuminated in the evening
Three paintings by Van Gogh, Jongkind and Cézanne were stolen from the museum.
Experience Museum Quarter
Willem de Kooning (1904–97)
This Dutch abstract Expressionist often focused on the female figure.
Kazimir Malevich (1878–1935)
Russian founder of Suprematism, an abstract movement which experimented with colour.
Jean Tinguely (1925–1991)
The swiss sculptor crafted humorous, moving sculptures.
Karel Appel (1921–2006)
A Dutch member of the short-lived, experimental CoBrA movement.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880–1938)
The German Expressionist was inspired by the primitive art of African and Asian cultures.