Amsterdam's golden age of art is renewed

The National Gallery in London was founded in 1824, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York was founded in 1870, the National Gallery in Berlin was opened in 1876 and Vienna’s Kunsthistorische Museum was opened in 1891. During this period, the main cities of the western world scrambled to build stunningly impressive art galleries.

Although a museum had been founded in The Hague as early as 1800, by 1863 the Amsterdam city fathers were keen to conduct a design contest for a state museum. When there was dissatisfaction with the submissions, a new contest was held a decade later and this time a winner was announced - Pierre Cuypers (1827-1921). His submission managed to combine two apparently incompatable styles, gothic and renaissance.

The renovated Rijksmuseum, gardens and reflecting pool, April 2013.

On both the interior and exterior, his building was richly decorated with allusions to the 17th century era when Dutch town planners, engineers, traders, artists and scientists ruled the world. Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum was opened to the cheer of local residents in July 1885 and soon became Holland’s biggest museum.

Naturally additions and changes were made to the grand building in the decades since 1885, particularly before and after World War Two.

In 2003 the architects were asked: to strip the building of its post-Cuypers additions and to restore Cuypers’ clear layout. To this end, I've been following the Rijksmuseum’s Renovation Blog. According to the current design, for example, the two inner court-yards which were added in the post-war years were broken open, creating a two-part Atrium linked by the open passageway.

At every stage during the renovations, the guiding theme was continue with Pierre Cuypers’ 1885 master-piece, especially his layout. The monum­ental orn­aments were to be returned to the Gallery of Honour, the Front Hall, the Night Watch Gallery and the stairwells. Cuypers‘ genius was best preserved in the library where the original design and ornaments have largely been maintained. 

Jan Vermeer, The Love Letter, c1666

44 x 39 cm

Rijksmuseum

Since 2003, the Rijksmuseum has been largely closed; they have been able to invite visitors only into the Philips Wing – the 13 rooms of the museum’s south wing, a section that had already been renovated in the 1990s. Only 400 works from the Rijksmuseum’s holdings have been on show in the Philips Wing, in an exhibition called Masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age. Fortunately the limited number of paintings included Rembrandt’s stunning The Night Watch 1642.

In the interim, many parts of the collection were out on loan, seen by audiences across the Neth­erlands and abroad.

Naturally the renovations took much longer than intended, endured problems with the contractors and cost much more than budgeted for. In the end, the project cost the good tax payers of the Netherlands over €375 million. Security was modernised, climate control was improved and computer technology was revolutionised. 

But it was worth it. After a renovation that took nearly ten years, the new Rijksmuseum will be relaunched on 13th April 2013 and opened to the public the next day. The 80 rooms have been returned to their original 19th century loveliness, including their original decorat­ions and works of art. Only then will the Philips Wing close in April and reopen later as a space for large-scale temporary exhibitions.

Visitors can see up to 10,000 pieces from the collect­ion on display at any one time. This in unlike the Louvre or Kunst­histor­ische Museum, for example, where more of the treasures are in the archives than are on display. The reopening will also involve renovated gardens and a glass-clad Asian Pavilion, surrounded by a reflecting pool.

The most famous work in the collection is still Rembrandt van Rijn’s Night Watch which will be the final painting to be hung on the wall. Additionally the Rijksmuseum will show a number of Rembrandt’s other key works, including Syndics of the Drapers' Guild and The Jewish Bride. It will also display works by other artists from the Dutch Golden Age, like the incomparable Johannes Vermeer, Jan Steen, Jacob van Ruysdael and Frans Hals.

Rembrandt, The Jewish Bride, c1667
122 × 167 cm
Rijksmuseum

I have not visited the Rijksmuseum since 2002 and so have not seen any changes yet. But I am looking forward to seeing a wing fitted out to display its Special Collections. Large sub-collections will include porcelain, silver, jewellery, glass and ceramics, decorated weapons and model ships. Porcelain and silver are my passions.