Today I led a small group of friends through the Rijksmuseum in the morning and the Van Gogh in the afternoon. You should always pre-book your tickets online to save from standing in a queue. We literally walked right into both. The Rijksmuseum has the premier collect of Dutch masterworks in the world. There are several beautiful and intricate Vermeers and the center piece is Rembrandt’s masterpiece The Nightwatch. This work was named due to the fact that it was covered in smoke from the indoor heating and lighting of the Dutch Renaissance and on. Once it was cleaned in modern times, art historians were mesmerized with Rembrandt’s ability to depict motion and lighting. The museum library is an architectural masterpiece and the intricate dollhouses are not to miss. There is also an incredible collection of model ships.
Vermeer’s Milkmaid in the Rijksmuseum
Next we visited the Van Gogh museum (pronounced VAN HOUCK). There is no other museum in the world with such an intimate and full collection of one artist. You start on the bottom floors with his earliest pieces and work your way through his short but impactful career. You can see his work change as he learned new things in Paris and throughout his travels. You can also see him go mad and see his final works. It is powerful and incredibly educational.
Fun Fact:
-This is how you pronounce Van Gogh.
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