Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
I’ve written before about the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City. It is a wonderful museum, but it is nothing compared to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. I’ve visited other museums as well (see here and here), but they also are shadows of the Rijksmuseum. About the only museums I’ve spent much time in that compare to the Rijksmuseum are parts of the Smithsonian, such as the National Gallery of Art and the National Portrait Gallery. (For you New Yorkers, I’m not belittling your museums; I simply haven’t spent enough time in New York museums in recent years for a fair comparison.)
Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
When we travel, my husband and I tend to visit historical or outdoor exhibits more than art museums. Our trip to Amsterdam this summer was no exception. We took two canal tours of the city, went to the National Maritime Museum, the Museum of the Canals, the Dutch Resistance Museum, and the Amsterdam Museum. But I did want to see some of the Dutch Old Masters, so I told my husband we needed to visit at least one art museum in Amsterdam.
Husband waiting outside Rijksmuseum
My sister and her husband had a day of sight-seeing planned in Amsterdam. They would start at the Van Gogh Museum, move on to the Rijksmuseum, and then visit other attractions. My husband and I didn’t want to make as early a start as they did, so we agreed we’d meet them outside the Rijksmuseum in mid-morning. And we did.
I walked inside the Rijksmuseum and was awed as soon as I entered the first gallery. It is huge, and every painting is a masterpiece, or so it seemed to my uneducated eye.
Over the next couple of hours, we toured most of the Dutch Masters rooms in the Rijksmuseum, as well as the Impressionist paintings on display. By that time we needed to eat, and we went to the onsite cafe to eat. After an excellent fruit and cheese plate, as well as a Diet Coke (or Coke Zero, in European parlance), I felt ready for another round.
Unfortunately, my sister and her husband had another museum on their agenda, and my husband had seen what he wanted to see. So we walked back to our hotel along the canals—also not a bad way to spend a sunny afternoon on the last day of our vacation.
The Rijksmuseum could easily take days to see thoroughly, and I wish I’d had the time to do so. I suppose that means I should plan another visit to Amsterdam. My husband would probably go along, if I promised him a couple more canal tours.
What are the best museums you’ve been to on your travels?
Rembrandt, detail from Night Watch
Rembrandt, An Old Woman Reading
Vermeer, Milkmaid
Rembrandt, Detail from Night Watch
Rembrandt, Man in Oriental Dress
Isaac Israels, Donkey Rides on the Beach
I doubt it would be classed as a museum, but while in Amsterdam, I visited Corrie tenBoom’s home. Corrie and her family hid Jews during WW II. Finally someone turned them in. Corrie, her sister and father were hauled off to concentration camps. Corrie was the only survivor. She spent her latter years preaching forgiveness to all who would listen. The visit to her home in Haarlem, Holland is one I’ll never forget.
Sally, I didn’t see any references to this home when we were there, but it sounds like a good place to visit.
Theresa