Amsterdam is a special city, the canals running through the city and the unique architecture makes it one of my favorite cities in the world. What can’t be forgotten is the cultural atmosphere Amsterdam has, and the Stedelijk museum really helps with bringing that atmosphere. This post is about the Stedelijk museum that I visited two weeks ago.
Historical Overview
The Stedelijk museum was founded in 1874 and began as a home for contemporary art and artifacts. In the museum’s official archives, the initial mission can be found, to showcase groundbreaking art that resonates with modern age. This mission has been followed to great extent, that can be confirmed with the various sources like The Art Newspaper recognizing them for their contribution to modern arts. While walking through the museum you can tell it’s a global hub for modern art in all it’s different forms.
The Collection
With over 90 000 works the museum has an impressive collection. The works are from late 19th century up until today as detailed in the museums official catalog. While walking around the different rooms we saw pieces from Vincent van Gogh, Piet Mondrian, Kazimir Malevich and a lot more respected artists.
My highlight of the museum was De Stijl Movement:It’s one of the biggest collections of De Stijl art, the collection includes works by Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg. It’s a movement that embrace an abstract and basic form of art that often includes geometric forms. I believe a lot of modern art doesn’t make sense but here most of De Stijl artworks are very visually pleasant.
Why should you visit?
I had a pleasant visit and would recommend anyone interested in arts and modern culture to make a visit at the Stedelijk museum. Many of the art works create interesting conversations and thoughts. It’s also very interesting to see how our art has developed the past 150 years. For me modern art isn’t a favorite like I mentioned before but I’m happy to learn about it since it’s the only area we as individuals still can influence. Who knows, one creative thought could end up in a modern arts museum and that’s what makes it interesting for me.
So, if you find yourself in Amsterdam do yourself a favour and visit the Stedelijk museum, find your tickets here.
