Rijksmuseum
The
Rijksmuseum (
IPA: ;
Dutch for
National Museum) is a national
museum of the
Netherlands, located in
Amsterdam on the
Museumplein. The Rijksmuseum is dedicated to arts, crafts and history. It has a large collection of paintings from the
Dutch Golden Age and a substantial collection of
Asian art.
The museum was founded in
1800 in
The Hague to exhibit the collections of the Dutch
stadtholders. It was inspired by the
French example. By then it was known as the National Art Gallery (Dutch:
Nationale Kunst-Gallerij). In
1808 the museum moved to Amsterdam on the orders of king
Louis Napoleon, brother of
Napoleon Bonaparte. The paintings owned by that city, such as
The Night Watch (Dutch:
De nachtwacht) by
Rembrandt, became part of the collection.
In
1885 the museum moved to its current location, built by Dutch architect
Pierre Cuypers. He combined
gothic and
renaissance elements. The museum has a prominent position on the
Museumplein, near the
Van Gogh Museum and the
Stedelijk Museum. The building is richly decorated with references to the Dutch art history. Rembrandts
The Night Watch has its own hall in the museum since
1906. Since
2003 the museum underwent restoration, but the masterpieces are continuously present for the viewing public.
The paintings collection includes works by artists
Jacob van Ruysdael,
Frans Hals,
Johannes Vermeer and
Rembrandt and Rembrandts pupils.
As of 2005, 95% of the museum is closed for renovation, but paintings from the permanent collection are still on display in a special exhibition called
The Masterpieces in the recently renovated Philips wing.
The Night Watch*
The Syndics of the Clothmaker's Guild*
The Jewish Bride*
The Anatomical Lesson of Dr. Deyman*
Peter Denying Christ*
Saskia with a Veil*
Portrait of Titus in a Monk Habit*
Self Portrait as the Apostle Paul*
Tobias, Anna and the Goat*
The Milkmaid*
The Love Letter*
Woman in Blue reading a Letter*
The Little Street*
Portrait of a Young Couple*
The Company of Reynier Real*
The Jolly Drinker*
Portrait of Lucas De Clercq*
Portrait of Nicolaes Hasselaer*
Portrait of a ManSome of the works at the Rijksmuseum:
Image:Jan Vermeer van Delft 010.jpgImage:Jan Vermeer van Delft 012.jpgImage:Frans Hals 005.jpgImage:Frans Hals 002.jpgImage:Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 042.jpgImage:Frans Hals 034.jpgImage:Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 103.jpgImage:Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 137.jpg*
Official website (information in six languages)
*
Official restoration website (Promotion during the Rijksmuseum restoration phase)
*
Netherlands, Amsterdam, Rijkmuseum, VR panoramas (external views) by Tolomeus
*
Floor Plan of "Philips Wing" (only bit currently open, 8Mbyte PDF)
*
Amsterdam Tourist Attractions
