The Amsterdam Van Gogh Museum is home to the biggest collection of Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) paintings, letters, and drawings, in the entire world, along with the works of his contemporaries. In the charming museum district of the city, Museumplein is one of Amsterdam’s most well-known attractions.
The Van Gogh Museum is one of the top 25 visited museums in the world, with 1.6 million visitors annually. The museum’s big glass entrance hall was added to the back of the structure in 2015. With 2.3 million visitors, the museum had the 23rd-highest number of visitors of any art gallery on the planet in 2017. It was also the most popular museum in the Netherlands.
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Overview of the Museum
Unsold pieces
When Vincent van Gogh passed away in 1890, his brother Theo came into control of any unsold pieces. Six months following Vincent, Theo passed away, leaving Johanna van Gogh-Bonger as the only owner of the pieces. Johanna kept a personal collection of brilliant Vincent Van Gogh artworks while selling many of them to promote his art.
Her son Vincent Willem van Gogh received the collection in 1925. It was then leased to the Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum, where it was on display for a number of years, and transferred to the government-founded Vincent van Gogh Foundation in 1962.
Dedicated museum
The Dutch government hired Gerrit Rietveld, a Dutch furniture designer, and architect, to construct a Van Gogh museum in 1963. After Rietveld passed away a year later, the structure took another year to be finished, and the museum didn’t open until 1973. The building was refurbished by Dutch architect Martien van Goor in 1998 and 1999, and Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa erected a new exhibition wing.
The museum underwent six months of refurbishment in late 2012. Seventy-five pieces from the inventory were displayed in the Hermitage Amsterdam during this time. In addition, the museum unveiled a long-lost Van Gogh artwork that was thought to belong to another painter for years in a Norwegian basement on September 9, 2013.
Van Gogh’s signature heavy brushstrokes are used to create the bushes, trees, and sky in Sunset at Montmajour. Because he detailed it in a message to his brother Theo and stated that he painted it on July 4, 1888, the precise day this Van Gogh artwork was created was easily determined.
Its buildings
The museum is situated in Amsterdam-Zuid. It comprises two buildings: the Rietveld wing, designed by architect Gerrit Rietveld. The other wing is the Kurokawa section, built by Kisho Kurokawa.
It is situated between the Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk Museum. In Amsterdam-Zuid, at Stadhouderskade 55, are the museum’s administrative offices. Sunflowers might be admired outside the museum entrance depending on the time of year.
The Rietveld building
The permanent collection is housed in the main Rietveld building. It features a four-story height with a rectangular floor design. A store, an inaugural exhibition about Van Gogh drawings, and a cafe are on the ground floor. The famous Van Gogh drawings are arranged chronologically on the first floor.
Vincent Van Gogh – The Bedroom
The second floor offers a section for small temporary exhibitions and information about painting restoration. Finally, on the third floor, paintings by Van Gogh’s contemporaries are displayed alongside his works.
The Kurokawa wing
Major temporary exhibitions are held at the Kurokawa wing. It is three floors high and features an oval floor plan. From the Rietveld building, a tunnel leads to the Kurokawa wing.
The permanent art collection at the Van Gogh Museum
Van Gogh’s drawings, including more than 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and 750 of his letters, are included in the collection, together with those of his contemporaries, the Impressionists and Postimpressionists. The Netherlands, Paris, Arles, Saint-Remy, and Auvers-sur-Oise are the five chronologically ordered periods that make up Van Gogh’s body of work, representing a distinct time in his life and career.
The Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, a waterway tour, and the public transportation card are all included in the exclusive online city pass known as the Amsterdam Pass. Additionally, it offers a 10% discount on any additional Amsterdam attractions you want to visit.
This museum should be on anyone’s visit list, even if you’re not a great fan of Vincent van Gogh’s artwork. Both its buildings offer a visitor a wonderful environment to look, breathe, and absorb works of art. So even though this is among the busiest galleries on the planet, you can always find a private moment to marvel at Van Gogh’s brilliance there.
The place gives you the perfect opportunity to learn about the paintings of Van Gogh. Daily hours of operation for the Van Gogh Museum are 10 am to 5 pm. However, the Van Gogh Museum is accessible every Friday until 10 pm during the busy season.
There are numerous attractions, such as a wine bar and DJ concerts; for the schedule, visit their website. A guided tour begins in English at 7 pm and in Dutch at 8 pm. In addition, a few 50-minute guided excursions are available but require reservations: the Family guided tour and the Tour of the Van Gogh masterworks.
They cost €95 per group, excluding entrance, and are offered on Saturdays for groups of up to ten persons. In addition, the new ticket counter and the new entrance to the museum were constructed to enable easier access.
Conclusion
The Meet Vincent Van Gogh Experience, an innovation with the immersive display of Van Gogh’s life and works, was introduced by the Van Gogh Museum in 2019 and has since traveled the world. The Van Gogh museum is unquestionably among the top places to visit in Amsterdam, thanks to its outstanding collection of paintings.
Whether you have an Iamsterdam City Card or a Museumkaart, which both give free access, you must still reserve a time-slot ticket online. However, booking sooner or later will result in slightly less crowding during the busiest visitation hours of 1100–1500.