Rijksmuseum and the lawn before it.
Concertgebouw, across from the Rijksmuseum; Flowers near the Van Gogh Museum
The Rijksmuseum is being renovated and so they have created a special exhibition of their masterpieces in one wing. This is so beautifully curated that you might think it was their permanent arrangement. Some of the exhibits that appealed to me:
- The Dolls' Houses, which show you what Dutch homes of their period must have been like and which, read with the Dutch colonial exhibits and the classical paintings on display bring both together in a domestic context to show what the imperative for imperial exploration must have been.
- I was happy to finally see the original version of several famous paintings including Hendrik Avercamp's Winter Landscape with Ice Skaters; Rembrandt's Night Watch; and The Kitchen Maid, The Little Street and Woman Reading a Letter by Vermeer.
- Other interesting paintings: The Jewish Bride by Rembrandt, The Mill at Wijk-bij-Duurstede by Jacob van Ruisdael, The Marriage Portrait Massa by Frans Hals.
Check out the collection online for yourself.
The Van Gogh Museum was even more user-friendly. It is smaller and devoted to one artist so it is easier to follow both the artistic and the life-narrative. Between this museum and the Kroller-Muller, we have now probably seen most of Vincent Van Gogh's famous paintings. I have to say that contrary to my view in the earlier post on that museum, I really enjoyed his work here. It must have to do with having a sense of his life/learning trajectory. Or my state of mind! I would suggest you visit the site yourself to see the paintings because it too is very well laid out.
