Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

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“Practice what you know, and it will help to make clear what now you do not know.”
— Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)

Meaning State Museum in Dutch, the Rijksmuseum is the Netherland’s national museum located on Amsterdam’s Museumplein. Dedicated to arts, crafts, and history, the main draw is its large collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age.

Founded in 1800 in The Hague, the museum originally exhibited the collections of the Dutch stadtholders. The museum was inspired by France’s Louvre, and was known as the National Art Gallery. Napoleon appointed his brother Louis king of Holland; and in 1808 King Louis ordered that the museum move to Amsterdam. At this time Amsterdam’s paintings, including Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, became part of the museum’s collection.

The museum, designed by Pierre Cuypers, was opened 13.July.1885, following nine years of construction. Combining Gothic and Renaissance elements, Cuypers’s design was selected from among entries to a design competition in 1876. A different design competition was held to decorate both the interior and the exterior of the new museum. Georg Sturm (1855-1923) designed the tile tableaux on the Rijksmuseum’s façade, including Famous Visitors to Amsterdam (see photo #3). Bart van Hove and François Vermeylen were chosen to create the building’s sculptural decoration (see photo #4).

From 2003 to 2013 the museum underwent a major renovation.

Amateurs and connoisseurs of Dutch Fine Arts expected the New Rijksmuseum to open in 2009. Then the Dutch press announced that the opening would only be in the summer of 2010!
"Opening Rijksmuseum weer later
AMSTERDAM - Het vernieuwde Rijksmuseum gaat pas na de zomer van 2010 open."

What is on display nowadays " the masterpieces special" is only a small part of the magnificent collections of the Rijksmuseum.

On a recent visit (ref. my tips hereafter) I visited the "masterpieces" now on display.
During that visit it was confirmed to me that the new museum would not open before end of 2010, begin 2011, and that is now delayed to 2013!
Fortunately I visited on several occasions the Rijksmuseum before the works started.

The present entrance is on the right side of the building.
There is a fast lane for e-tickets and museum card owners but … as there is only one safety check at the entrance of the building everybody has to follow the same queue.
I arrived at 9.15 and there was nobody in front of me! The early visitors of 9.00 h were already in and the groups had not yet arrived. Furthermore I was told that Wednesday was a less crowded day.

Open each day 9 - 18 h.
Price (2011): free up to 18 yr. From 19 yr : 12,50 €. With Museum card : free
Tickets can be bought online.

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While waiting a couple of years for the complete reopening of the Rijksmuseum the traveler arriving by air can visit the so called RIJKSMUSEUM SCHIPHOL located inside the airport (Holland Boulevard between Piers E and F in the area beyond passport control). Open daily 6 - 20 h, free.

From 7 September to 12 December 2011 there is an exhibition of 17th-century portraits of women at the Rijksmuseum Schiphol called "Dutch Girls". The exhibition consists of a small collection of nine well-to-do, leading models from the Golden Age.

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UPDATE: Renovation work on the Rijksmuseum has been halted as the original contractor gave up. There is a small portion of the collection on exhibit, including fascinating historical material and the expected Rembrandts and Vermeers. The good news is that they are charging a reduced fee and what is on show is easily done with out having museum exhaustion set in.

The main museum in the Netherlands has much more than the Rembrandts and Vermeers that we all go to see. But to be honest -- in the limited time we had, that's what I saw! The museum had been smartly renovated since my long ago trip -- the pictures were exhibited well and the arrangement of rooms was well marked.
Rembrandt picture is from WebMuseum: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/

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Amsterdam's National Museum or RIJKSMUSEUM has a large collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age and a substantial collection of Asian Art. Founded in 1800 in The Hague, but in 1808 the Museum moved to Amsterdam.
The Museum contains paintings by Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals and Jan Steen.
Open Monday - Thursday & Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Friday 9:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Tickets may be purchased on line

It should be said that during the works at the Rijksmuseum (until 2013 according to last press news) only a small part of the collections is on display. On my previous visits the full collection did take me all the day, now with only 400 pieces the visit took me less than 3 hours.

On display are only the highlights of the Dutch Golden Age (17th. c.).
The two first rooms on the ground floor show the history of the Republic of the Seven United Provinces and the growth of the country to a world power thanks to its trade and fleet. As example of this maritime power is a 4 m. long model from 1698 of a 74 gun warship the "William Rex". (photo 1)
Room 3 shows the famous Doll's Houses, rooms 4 and 5 show silverware and Delftware.
Remembering my previous visits, what is now on display is less than 20% of the original historic and decorative arts collections.

Open every day 9 - 18 h.
Price (2011): free up to 18 yr. From 19 yr : 12,50 €. With Museum card : free
Tickets can be bought online.

It is not permitted to take photographs or make video recordings or films.

Paintings are on the first floor; only the 17th. c. Golden Age is on display.
During the works at the Rijksmuseum (until 2013 according to last press news) only a small part of the collections is on display.
The 15th, 16th and 18th c. paintings have been left aside. Also the 19th. c. Dutch school is stored somewhere what is a real pity because the Romantic school landscapes (Koekoek, Springer) and the excellent Dutch Impressionist Den Haag and Amsterdam schools (Maris, Mauve, Breitner, Israëls) are not shown.

The favourites are the Rembrandts, the "Night Watch" of course and two more rooms with paintings from him. Frans Hals and Jan Steen are present. My preference goes to the Vermeers and Pieter de Hoogh with his so called "keyhole views".
Some of the best Dutch Landscapes and Still Life paintings are on display. I always liked the still life with cheeses, a genre which was called "ontbijtgen" (breakfast) as well as the famous still life with gilt goblet from Willem Claesz. Heda.
(The -sz. found in Dutch names of that time is an abbreviation for -szoon = son of).

Again remembering my previous visits it seems to me that not more than 25% of the original collection of paintings is now on display.
It is an opportunity to visit the Amsterdams (Historisch) Museum where there is a good collection of Dutch paintings.

Open every day from 9:00 to 18:00 h.
Adults: € 12,50.
18 and under: free. With Museum card : free
Tickets can be bought online.
It is not permitted to take photographs or make video recordings or films.

SPECIAL EXHIBITION: GABRIEL METSU. (now closed).
From 16 December 2010 to 21 March 2011 thirty five of the best paintings of this Dutch master from the Golden Age are on show at the Rijksmuseum.
Along with Vermeer, Jan Steen, Gerard ter Borch and Pieter de Hooch, Metsu was one of the leading genre painters of the 17th century. If you like Vermeer don't miss Metsu especially his "Sick Child".

The Rijksmuseum houses the largest collection of art and history in the Netherlands of the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic, the Golden Age, including works by Rembrandt, Vermeer and numerous other paintings by artists such as Frans Hals and Jan Steen. The collection also includes silver objects, delftware, doll houses, prints, drawings, the mysterious Asiatic art and a recent completely renovated presentation on Dutch history.

Here's an example of the fine tile work on the wall below the gabled portion of the museum's roof. Sorry, but it's not very clear in this picture. Trust me, it's fine work!

Gabled roofs of many shapes and sizes are a common feature throughout Amsterdam and the entire region.
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