2016-11-30

Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art - Thessaloniki - Greece

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In the history of the Modern Greek visual arts, the Macedonian Centre of Contemporary Art and the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art represent a remarkable achievement of individual initiative.
It all started in 1978: In a conversation between Maro Lagia and Alexandros Iolas, after the latter had shown a keen interest in the damages inflicted on the monuments of Thessaloniki by the 1978 catastrophic earthquake, Maro proposed the creation of a contemporary art centre in Thessaloniki. Iola’s response was immediate –“Oh yes, no more hospitals and orphanages; a centre of contemporary art; that’s exactly what Thessaloniki needs.”
In the meantime, a group of friends, almost all lovers of art, gathered at the Dambassinas family farm outside Thessaloniki to avoid the aftermaths of the earthquake, discussing the problem of the damaged monuments, referred to the prospect of creating a contemporary arts centre, missing from the city. A member of the group, Argyris Maltsidis, city councellor at the time, mentioned the relevant case of the Skopje Museum which was founded after the 1963 earthquake and for which there had been an international appeal to artists for support and donations of works of art.

 
 
 
 

2016-11-29

State Museum of Contemporary Art - Thessaloniki - Greece

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The State Museum of Contemporary Art is situated in the northeast wing of the Moni Lazariston complex, with a total area of 3,300 square meters. The building was modified into a museum according to modern international standards. The exhibition halls of the museum permanently house part of the Costakis Collection, which alternates periodically.
Since the Summer of 2001, the museum ows another exhibition place at the Port of Thessaloniki, the Warehouse B1 which houses the Museum's periodical exhibitions as well as the exhibitions organized by the Center of Contemporary Art, the autonimous section of the SMCA.
In the future, Museum plans to change its residence, and move at the industrial building of YFANET.

 
 
 
 


2016-11-28

LVR - LandesMuseum - Bonn - Germany

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Neanderthal Man, the Celtic grave of a princess from Waldalsgesheim, the Caelius Stone as the only written document for the defeat of the Romans in the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, the Gustorf choir screen, a major work of early Romanesque art in Germany and many more objects attest to the European rank of the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn's collection.
For a time period that started around 400,00 years ago, when the first people began to make the Rhineland their home, and extends up to today's contemporary art, the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn provides comprehensive and fascinating insights into the Rhineland's cultural history.

 
 
 
 

2016-11-25

Stadtmuseum Bonn - Bonn - Germany

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The Stadtmuseum Bonn is a museum of the city of Bonn. It was founded on 15th of January 1998. The mission of this museum is to portray the urban history of Bonn and to present and maintain it's large inventory.
 
 
 
 

2016-11-24

Kunst Museum Bonn - Bonn - Germany

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With one of the internationally most important collections of German art  – based on the seminal inventory of works by August Macke –, the Kunstmuseum disposes over a collection profile that is unparalleled throughout the country. The collection focuses on the Rhenish Expressionists, German Art after 1945 including Joseph Beuys’ Multiples as well as graphic art including photography and the video center Ingrid Oppenheim. The museum’s relevance has been steadily growing over the past decades. In this development, one of the special features of Bonn’s collecting policies has been to refrain from attempts to document German art with a claim to encyclopedic scope, but rather concentrate on a manageable number of eminent artists, and then purchase from them entire groups of works and ensembles.
One emphasis our Museum has established in this undertaking is to explore the potentials for development in painting. Our current activities are largely geared towards expanding previous research on the immanent and self-referential features of the picture with a focus on the social context and the social-political reality. As far as the museum’s exhibitions and collections are concerned, additional special emphasis has been put on presentations and purchases in the field of photography and media art. Furthermore, we pay special attention to crossovers in media art and to the interfaces between the individual media.
 
 
 

2016-11-23

Bundeskunsthalle - Bonn - Germany

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The Bundeskunsthalle is a unique venue. Since its inauguration in 1992 it has set new standards with a richly varied programme of exhibitions devoted not only to art and cultural history of all eras right up to the present day, but also to science, technology and the environment. The ground-breaking cultural history exhibitions in particular appear in retrospect to have anticipated the rising trend towards globalisation. Cultures from all over the world – some well-known, other much less so – are presented in Bonn.
By working closely with many of the leading museums and galleries of the world, the Bundeskunsthalle has established an international network of links with fellow cultural institutions and gained access to wider audiences.

The exhibitions and events hosted by the Bundeskunsthalle are integral to the institution’s remit to act both nationally and internationally as a showcase for the open and inclusive concept of culture that has become one of the pillars of the identity of the Federal Republic of Germany. Since its opening the Bundeskunsthalle has presented some 220 exhibitions and hosted countless events such as concerts, readings, film screenings, conventions etc that have attracted a total of eighteen million visitors, many of whom made the journey from nearby Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg and northern France. Thus the Bundeskunsthalle has truly become the ‘cultural institution with a European dimension’ evoked in the inaugural speeches.


 
 
 


2016-11-22

Frauenmuseum - Bonn - Germany

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Since the existence of the women's museum, work from 3000 female artists was shown. Meanwhile a lot of them could establish themselves on the international art market. The women's museum is no static place with solid continuance but a vivid house that renews itself with the wealth of female creativity and variety. Meanwhile approx. 350 members belong to the association FM art, culture, research e.V.

In 1989, as part of the two thousandth anniversary of the city Bonn, the Frauenmuseum showed an exhibition entitled "Die Bonnerinnen" (The Women of Bonn), which was one of the most well-received projects of the anniversary. Since then, exhibitions dealing with women's history have been a reoccurring and set part of the museum's repertoire and work.


 
 
 

2016-11-21

August Macke House - Bonn - Germany

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The August Macke House in Bonn is the former home and studio of August Macke. The artist lived here with his family from the beginning of 1911 to August 1914.
In 1900 the Macke family moved to Bonn which then became the center of young August Macke's life. It was here that he and his future wife Elisabeth met each other in 1903 when both of them were still in school. And it was in Bonn that August Macke matured and developed into a widely known and admired artist.
In the autumn of 1910, when the young couple and their little son Walter returned to Bonn from the Tegernsee, Elisabeth's family gave them the late-classicist house on Bornheimer Strasse to live in. The house was located at what was then the outskirts of town, on the large premises of the company owned and operated by the Gerhardt family.
The top story was redone into a studio in accordance with the wishes and instructions of August Macke. It was here that he received his artist friends, among whom were Robert Delaunay, Max Ernst, and Franz Marc.  
August Macke's most famous paintings were done here, as well as numerous works that show his view from the studio window onto the large garden and to the home's immediate surroundings. In addition, the artist created sculptures and designed craftworks here. Together with Franz Marc, Macke painted the 4 x 2 meter programmatic ›Paradise‹ on the wall of the studio in the autumn of 1912.
 
 
Website : August Macke House
 
 
 
 

2016-11-17

Museum Meermanno - Den Haag - Netherlands

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The museum is located in the attractive former residence of the Baron Van Westreenen van Tiellandt (1783-1848) and is devoted to the hand-written and printed book of the past and present. The external aspects of the book and the development of book design are the main focus. The museum organizes three to four temporary exhibitions a year on themes related to both the old and modern book.

The museum maintains an extensive collection of books from all periods of Western book history, starting with medieval manuscripts that are entirely written and illuminated by hand. An overview of the development of writing, layout and decoration of manuscripts can be seen in the distinctive book room where a selection of these superb volumes can be seen.

The book room itself is a unique example of nineteenth-century museum design and its original style remains entirely intact. In addition to medieval manuscripts, there are also examples of the earliest form of the printed book, known as incunabula.

The name Meermanno-Westreenianum refers to two individuals who were associated with the museum from the very beginning. The most important is Baron W.H.J.van Westreenen van Tiellandt (1783-1848) who built up his vast collection in this house, which was his residence. His second cousin and important source of inspiration, Johan Meerman (1751-1815), also owned an impressive collection of books, a part of which was taken up into the collection of Van Westreenen. After the death of Van Westreenen, the house and his entire collection became the property of the state. In 1852, the house was opened to the public as a museum.

Van Westreenen was a typical nineteenth-century collector who was very interested in the history of ancient cultures. He not only collected books, but also antiquities from, among other places, Greece, Rome and Egypt. He was successful in obtaining some extraordinary objects. In addition, family portraits and souvenirs from his extensive travels can be seen in the museum.
As an extension of Van Westreenen’s collection, the museum actively collects books dating from 1850 to the present. The form and design of the book remain the criteria for selection. In the permanent installation, “From lead to LED,” the development of the modern book is presented, accompanied by a changing selection from the museum’s fine modern collection. In addition, the museum has a permanent display devoted to unusual book forms. An important part of this is the Bibliotheca Thurkowiana Minor, a miniature library with 1515 tiny books. Ex libris, printed bookplates identifying the owner of the book, are regularly shown in small changing displays. The museum has one of the largest collection of ex libris in the Netherlands.

 
 
 
 

2016-11-16

Mauritshuis - Den Haag - Netherlands

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The Mauritshuis is home to the Best of Dutch painting from the Golden Age. The compact, yet world-renowned collection, is situated in the heart of The Hague, right next to the government centre. Masterpieces such as Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt, The Goldfinch by Fabritius and The Bull by Potter are on permanent display in the intimate rooms of this seventeenth-century monument.
 
More than two hundred top works from Dutch and Flemish masters are on display in the historic yet intimate interior, with its silken wall covering, sparkling chandeliers and monumental painted ceilings.  Genre paintings by Jan Steen, landscapes by Jacob van Ruisdael, still lifes by Adriaen Coorte and portraits by Rubens offer a rich and varied representation of the best of seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish painting.
The Mauritshuis offers a varied programme of exhibitions in the Royal Dutch Shell Wing, connected to the historic building by a light-filled underground foyer, which also houses a brasserie and a well-stocked museum shop,. The Royal Dutch Shell wing, built in Art Deco style, also houses the Art Workshop (for education), an auditorium, library and several rooms available for hire.
 
 
 
 
 

2016-11-15

Historical Museum of The Hague - Den Haag - Netherlands

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The Historical Museum of The Hague is located in the historical heart of The Hague. The museum is housed in the former archery house of St. Sebastian's guild and dates from 1636. It is built on the spot of a gatehouse that was used by the civic guard. Parts of its cross-vaulted basement have been incorporated in the new archery house and can still be seen today. The civic guard of St. Sebastian used their quarters for parties and meetings. Immediately behind the building, alongside the Hofvijver, their shooting ranges were situated.

Since the late 18th century, after the dissolution of the civic guard guild the building has been used as a hotel, court house and museum. Since 1986 the Historical Museum of The Hague resides in the St. Sebastiaansdoelen.

 
 
 
 

2016-11-14

Gemeentemuseum Den Haag - Den Haag - Netherlands

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The earliest plans for the Gemeentemuseum go right back to 1906. In 1914 the first director of the museum, H.E. van Gelder, wrote a policy paper setting out his ideas for the new institution. Unfortunately, the First World War intervened and it was not until 1919 that the city council of The Hague made a site available in Stadhouderslaan. Hendrik Petrus Berlage (1856-1934) was recruited as project architect and produced a grandiose design for a cultural centre that was to include not only a museum complex, but also concert and congress halls. In 1927 Berlage was commissioned to implement a more modest design and construction finally took place between 1931 and 1935.

Like all Berlage’s buildings, the Gemeentemuseum was built on the basis of a geometrical design system. Its floor plan is based on a 110 cm x 110 cm grid. The form of the building is generally based on a standard 11 cm module (or multiples of it). This standard module is seen in its most basic form in the yellow bricks that clothe the building’s concrete skeleton. Since 11 cm was not a standard size, the bricks were made to order by the NV. Kleiwarenfabriek Alfred Russel in Tegelen. Acting with the consent of Berlage, who was confident that they ‘would never do his name any dishonour’, the company subsequently marketed the yellow bricks as ‘Berlage bricks’.
The restful harmony of the building’s facades, despite the diversity of window types, is due to the standard 4 x 11 cm arrangement of the glazing bars. Like the casings of the doors and windows, the window frames are made of bronzed brass. The same material is also used in the display cases designed by Berlage for the museum’s decorative arts section. The design of these vitrines is based on the same standard 11 cm module as the museum building, ensuring that they harmonise not only with the exhibition spaces, but also with the articulation of the windows.

Today, just as in 1935, the museum is approached through a long, glass-walled walkway that gives visitors time to leave the bustle of the city streets behind them. On either side of the walkway is a pond reflecting the facade of the museum. At the entrance doors, visitors are welcomed by the figure of a woman designed by Hague sculptor J.C. Altorf (1876-1955) and representing the city of The Hague. Entering the main building, they find themselves in the lofty foyer, where they may not be immediately aware of the large limestone relief towering over them. This allegorical representation of art was designed by Willem van Konijnenburg (1868-1943). The central figure is once again a woman representing the city of The Hague, although here also standing for divine light. The five angelic figures appearing to support her nimbus symbolise the five sections that existed in the museum in 1935: older decorative arts, musical instruments, prints, the history of The Hague, and modern art. The populace are clustered at her feet and with her right hand she shows them the way to art. Hence the inscription ‘Eer het god’lijk licht in d’openbaringen van de kunst’ (‘Honour divine light in the revelations of art’).
The lofty verticality of the foyer is emphasised by the white-painted columns of the concrete skeleton, between which are inserted strips of tiling in bright yellow, red and green. Having absorbed all this, visitors can either carry straight on into the decorative arts section or turn left or right to take one of the two staircases leading up to the fine art galleries. The decision to locate the decorative arts at ground level was inspired by the contemporary museological belief that they were easier than the fine arts for the general public to understand and appreciate. An important feature of the decorative arts section is the set of period rooms. To accommodate their high ceilings, the floors of these period interiors of the seventeenth and eighteenth century are sunk below ground level.

Having mounted the stairs to the upper floor, visitors arrive in the grand reception area – the most luxuriously finished space in the whole building. Its architecture reveals Berlage’s fascination with crystalline shapes, reflected both in the faceted construction of the room and in details like its stepped articulation. The colourful tiling evokes the fairytale world of the Middle East, an association reinforced by the green-tiled, gold-framed gratings that conceal the hot air inlets from the central heating system. The room has an oak wainscot and its floor is faced with expensive marble slabs.

Thanks to the large-scale restoration of the late 1990s, visitors to the Gemeentemuseum are now able to see this last great Berlage masterpiece in exactly the same state as visitors did in 1935, when the museum had just opened. The building is as attractive today as it was then. Berlage’s design is not only an iconic example of Dutch museum architecture, but enjoys international regard as one of the most important twentieth-century museum buildings anywhere in the world.


 
 
 
 

2016-11-11

GEM - Den Haag - Netherlands

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GEM shows developments in Dutch and international contemporary art and programs about seven exhibitions a year. All different media are represented: (video) installations, painting, sculpture, drawing, film and photography. GEM is part of the Gemeentemuseum The Hague, and regularly showcases the museums collections of contemporary art.
GEM shares its premises with the Museum of Photography and is located next to the Gemeentemuseum.


 
 
 

2016-11-10

Fotomuseum Den Haag - Den Haag - Netherlands

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The Hague Museum of Photography opened its doors in December 2002. It is part of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag and works closely with the Print Room of Leiden University Library.

Every year the museum organises around six exhibitions covering a wide range of periods, disciplines and genres in the history of photography, often focusing on the human figure. This wide-ranging approach – national and international, traditional and contemporary, black-and-white and colour – has enabled the museum to build up a broad public keen to sample such a varied and outstanding programme.

Contemporary names such as Desiree Dolron, Gregory Crewdson and Loretta Lux alternate with classic photographers such as Emmy Andriesse, Edward S. Curtis and Leonard Freed. Little-known oeuvres, like those of Gerard P. Fieret and Willem van de Poll, or the ‘Dutch period’ of fashion photographer Erwin Blumenfeld, are placed firmly in the spotlight. Another regular feature is socially relevant projects by contemporary photographers. Examples include the series on the Yugoslavia Tribunal by Friso Keuris, the portrayal of eroticism between older people by Marrie Bot, or the threatened landscapes of Anja de Jong.

 
 
 
 

2016-11-09

Tassenmuseum - Amsterdam - Netherlands

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The Museum of Bags and Purses is a unique museum showing the history of the (hand)bag in Western culture from the late Middle Ages to the present day, including the work of contemporary designers. The collection reflects the cultural history of the (hand)bag over a period of 500 years. The museum is the only museum of handbags in Europe and the largest of its kind in the world, with a collection of more than 5.000 bags, pouches, suitcases, purses and other matching accessories such as compacts, shoes and hats.

Like many other museums, the Museum of Bags and Purses owes its existence to a private collector’s passion. Over a period of thirty years, collectors Hendrikje and Heinz Ivo collected many bags and purses, slowly forming a unique collection. A personal fascination for the history of the handbag, its materials and techniques, its stories and craftsmanship, developed into a full-scale museum. From the beginning, the collectors acquired items with a sharp eye for quality and with a view to illustrating the history of the handbag in Western culture as complete as possible. As a result, the collection now receives international praise for its variety and quality. In 2014, Fodor’s travel website named the Museum of Bags and Purses as one of the 10 Best Fashion Museums in the world.


 
 
 
 

2016-11-08

Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam - Amsterdam - Netherlands

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The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is an international museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art and design.

The historic building of the Stedelijk is thoroughly renovated to house the first comprehensive installation of the museum’s renowned permanent collection of modern and contemporary art and design. At the same time, a boldly contemporary new building designed by Dutch bureau Benthem Crouwel Architects is constructed to house the museum’s influential temporary exhibitions and a range of public amenities. The new 10,000 square meter structure (98,400 square feet) re­orient the entire Museum to face onto the great public lawn of Amsterdam’s Museumplein (Museum Plaza), creating an active common ground for the first time among the Stedelijk and its neighbors, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Concertgebouw.

 
 
 
 



2016-11-07

Van Gogh Museum - Amsterdam - Netherlands

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Two buildings - the Rietveld Building and the Kurokawa Wing - together form the Van Gogh Museum. The new entrance hall connects both buildings.

History

The history of the Van Gogh Museum’s architecture is an interesting one. The main building, designed by Gerrit Rietveld, opened in 1973. Architect Kisho Kurokawa’s exhibition wing was completed in 1999. Other designers have also contributed to the rebuilding and renovation of the building. In the spring of 2014 a start was made on the construction of a new entrance foyer on Museumplein.

The Rietveld Building

The museum’s permanent collection is on display in the main building in Paulus Potterstraat, designed by the architect Gerrit Rietveld in 1963-64.
Rietveld was an important member of De Stijl, a group of progressive artists and architects active in the 1920s. Rietveld’s modernist vision stressed geometric shapes and light, open spaces. This is particularly evident in the staircase in the central hall, where the daylight streams into the museum galleries through a high skylight.

The Kurokawa Wing

Kisho Kurokawa designed the museum’s exhibition wing, which opened in 1999. Kurokawa was known above all for his original designs for Japanese museums and for Kuala Lumpur airport. All his major design principles are reflected in the exhibition wing—for example, the symbiosis between environment and architecture, and between Japanese and European culture. As a contrast to Rietveld’s cube, Kurokawa opted for asymmetry—the building is elliptical and the box-shaped print room is at an angle to the axis of the wing. The exhibition wing extension to the museum was made possible by the support of The Japan Foundation and the Tokyo-based Yasuda Fire & Marine Insurance Company Ltd.

The New Entrance Hall

The new entrance hall opens to the public on 5 September 2015. For the new entrance building, Kisho Kurokawa Architect & Associates made a sketch that consists in broad outlines of a further elaboration of the elliptical wing of the building that they had built in Amsterdam in 1999. This idea is further developed, materialized, and realized by Hans van Heeswijk Architects.
The open and transparent entrance hall has been built using the very latest glass construction techniques. The frontage consists of 650 square metres of cold bent glass, with 30 so-called 'roof fins' – also in glass and up to 12 metres in length – and 20 glass columns up to 9.4 metres high, all mounted on a load-bearing structure containing 65 tonnes of steel.
The new glass structure is positioned between the original museum building designed by Gerrit Rietveld and the more recent temporary exhibitions wing, providing better access to and between them.

 
 
 
 

2016-11-04

Tropenmuseum - Amsterdam - Netherlands

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The Tropenmuseum is a museum about people, housed in an impressive listed building overlooking Amsterdam’s Oosterpark.
 
The Tropenmuseum collection currently contains over 340,000 pieces, of which 175,000 are Material Culture (objects), 155,000 are photographic material (photographs, albums, slides, negatives), and 10,000 other imagery (drawings, paintings, documents).
 
The extensive permanent display and regularly changing exhibitions feature objects that all have a story to tell about humankind. Stories about universal human themes like mourning, celebration, ornamentation, prayer, conflict. From Africa to West and Southeast Asia, from New Guinea to Latin America: come to the Tropenmuseum and discover that, despite cultural differences, we are all essentially the same.

Tropenmuseum Junior is designed to appeal to visitors aged six to 13. It opened in 1975, making it the oldest children’s museum in the Netherlands. Entering Tropenmuseum Junior is like stepping into another world, an immersive experience that stimulates all the senses and allows children to learn by doing.

The museum’s current hands-on Moroccan experience ZieZo Marokko takes our young visitors on a journey with Esmaa, Fatima, Nasrdin and Yousef to discover the land of their parents. Tropenmuseum Junior offers children a broad-minded view of the world.


 
 
 

2016-11-03

Museum of Bags and Purses - Amterdam - Netherlands

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The Museum of Bags and Purses, the largest of its kind in the world, will show and tell you the story of a seemingly everyday article. It is a fascinating story, featuring fashion, art, customs and history. The museum is situated in a lovely canal house in the centre of Amsterdam, part of the UNESCO World heritage Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam, displaying the development of bags and purses from the Middle ages to the present day. This is the only place in the world where you will find so many beautiful, valuable, playful and exciting handbags in one collection: from historical highlights from the 15th century to the timeless classics of modern design from the most famous designers.


 
 
 

2016-11-02

Multatuli House - Amsterdam - Netherlands

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In the Multatuli House, the birthplace of the writer are his most important furniture, utensils, his library and all the editions and translations of his works. It is as if the writer any time entry to the pen. A new exhibition regularly furnished. Audiovisual support gives you information about the life and work of the writer.

 
 
 
 

2016-11-01

Museum Van Loon - Amsterdam -Netherlands

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In the heart of the Amsterdam canal district lies Museum Van Loon, a magnificent private residence built in 1672 by the architect Adriaen Dortsman. The first resident was the painter Ferdinand Bol, a pupil of Rembrandt. The interior of the house has remained largely intact during the last centuries and still evokes the splendor of the Golden Age.

In the rooms, a large collection of paintings, fine furniture, precious silvery and porcelain from different centuries is on display. Behind the house is a beautiful garden, an oasis of quiet in the modern inner city. The garden is laid out in formal style, and is bordered on the far side by the classical façade of the coach house. This original unity of canal house, garden and coach house is nowhere else to be seen. If you want a glimpse of the world behind the façades of the world famous canals, a visit to Museum Van Loon is definitely worth your while.