Museumplein Notes

Slow visits, quiet rooms, and the long history of looking — an editorial fan-archive of the Amsterdam museums district.

Other museums on Museumplein

A short list of the neighbours, with one sentence each.

Three other museums share the square. Each deserves its own essay. Here is one sentence apiece, to start.

Stedelijk Museum, on the west side: Holland’s great modern and contemporary collection, with a 2012 extension that locals call ‘the bathtub’ and visitors usually love.

Van Gogh Museum, on the north side: the most-visited art museum in the Netherlands, with the family papers in addition to the canvases, and a ticketed entry system that genuinely flows well.

Moco Museum, a private institution along the eastern edge of the square: smaller, contemporary, and divisive among locals — interesting to visit if you are open to street art and contemporary criticism of it.

Margot van der Linden — Amsterdam-based art writer. Lives near Albert Cuypstraat, walks to Museumplein on Wednesday mornings.

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