- barjay
- First Reviewer
- 4 out of 5
- Avg. Member Rating
- 45
- Reviews
-
34
- Photos
Two Museums for the Price of One
- October 1, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
artslover from Calgary, Alberta
It took us about five tries to learn how to say Van Gogh the way the Dutch pronounce it. But however it’s said, it was a really informative visit. The museum contains the largest collection of Van Gogh’s paintings in the world. The displays are organized to provide an opportunity to track Van Gogh's developments as an artist by organizing his work both chronologically and comparing his paintings to works by other artists from the 19th century to show how those artists influenced Van Gogh. The museum also offers exhibitions on various subjects from 19-th century art history.
The Van Gogh Museum is situated in the Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter, between the Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk Museum, the contemporary art museum. Both the Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk Museum are undergoing renovations so the area is a bit of a construction zone. We almost missed the entrance to the Van Gogh Museum, which is up a set of stairs a bit behind a large grey wall of this more modern structure. The one thing which signaled the entrance was the long line of people who were queuing to buy tickets. Luckily, we had bought ours in advance and walked straight into the museum
Right now, as the Stedelijk Museum is under renovation, scheduled to reopen in spring 2010, a large part of that collection is in the new wing of the Van Gogh Museum. It has one of the richest modern art collections in the world. Along with all big names of modern painting movements, Impressionists, Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism, it has a unique collection of Dutch artists, Casimir Malevich, De Stijl and the Cobra movement, a superb Dutch photography collection, and a very good collection of design and furniture. As well, there are pieces since 1950, such as works of Matisse, Picasso, Newman, Rauschenberg, and Warhol. So for the price of one ticket, you get to see two museum’s collections!
From journal Three Nights in Amsterdam
The One Museum You Must See
- September 23, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
ch2001 from Chicago, Illinois
The Van Gogh museum was a highlight of our trip, and from the line to get in it's a popular site for most visitors. There are a couple ways to avoid the line: buy your ticket ahead of time or buy an "I amsterdam" card (free admission to museum).
The museum displays his work chronologically, from his early days in The Netherlands to his later days in France. In between the sketches and paintings the museum has provided text telling the story of Van Gogh's personal life, and tells how his life influenced his painting and drawing. The second floor houses many of Van Gogh's sketches.
The museum comprises two buildings, the main building houses the main collection - all of the paintings I just mentioned. The second building houses special exhibitions. When we visited the exhibition focused on his Starry Night painting, and how other artists capture the night sky in their works.
The cafe is a great place to rest between the two buildings. It was reasonably priced for a coffee and a snack. And don't forget to stop by the gift shop - there were surprisingly some nice items.
From journal A Week in Europe 2009: Amsterdam for Three Days
AKA the The Van Gagcht Museum
- April 27, 2009
- Rated 3 of 5 by
Carmen from Fairfax, Virginia
I think I’m learning something about myself, as I traipse around Europe’s museums - I am not a museum person. That’s an important tidbit of information to keep in mind as I write about the Van Gogh Museum.
If you ask someone where the "Van Go" museum is, they won’t know what the heck you’re talking about. In Dutch, Gogh is pronounced, with full on throat throttle and spit, as "Gagcht." Their pronounciation will kind of make you want to say "bless you."
The entrance is a short walk from the also-famous Rijksmuseum, past the tourist photo op at the big IAMSTERDAM sign and several food and souvenir stands on the Paulus Potterstraat. The lines seemed to move quickly to pay the steep 15 Euro pp entrance fee, which included the "Colors of the Night" display (which disappointed since the most famous "Starry Night" isn’t among that collection.)
There are three floors of artwork, after you check your bags and go through security. The first floor is a Van Gogh history, and the only works I was familiar with were the painting of the yellow sunflowers and his self-portrait. The others, especially the early ones, were way to dark and dingy for my taste. But hey, the man cut off his ear, so what do I know from art?
I never made it to the second floor, I was so bored from the first one. Now, again, had this been impressionist art, like the Musee D’Orsay in Paris, I probably would’ve been more interested. This was not my cup of tea.
So, if you’re a fan of Van Gogh, visit this museum, which features more than 200 pieces of his work. If not, save your Euro and buy a snack outside.
From journal Amster-DAM That Was Fun!
Worth the Price of Admission
- January 8, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
anitaellen83 from Dallas, Texas
I could have spent all afternoon in this museum. While it is primarily dedicated to housing the major works of Vincent Van Gogh that are not at the other big museums, it also contains special exhibits as well as other famous artists from the Netherlands and Germany. It is situated on a beautiful park near lots of cafes to treat yourself after you've been on your feet for hours admiring truly amazing art.
From journal Spring Break in Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam
The Van Gogh Museum Was our Favorite Museum
- July 26, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
NiceGinna from Evanston, Illinois
The Van Gogh Museum is close to the Rijksmuseum, so easy to "do" both in a morning. There is a wonderful collection of his works and works by his contemporaries including several paintings of Van Gogh, himself, by other painters.
From journal Weekend in Amsterdam