Within easy walking distance of the Rijksmuseum is the second great gallery of Amsterdam, which occupies a position in modern art that is akin to the status of the Rijksmuseum in classic art; indeed, with the possible exception of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, I know no other museum of modern art that even remotely compares to the Stedelijk in Amsterdam.
The paintings here that catch most visitors by surprise are an incredibly numerous collection of Van Goghs on the second floor-more than 200 individual paintings and sketches by the great Dutch impressionist! Here are the incomparable originals of scenes you’ve seen in reproduction all your life: “Portrait of My Room at Aries,” “Sunflowers,” “The Berceuse,” “The Zouave,” “Cornfield with Crows,” “The Armchair,” “Boats on the Strand”—and that bitter indictment from Van Gogh’s earlier period, “The Potatoeaters” (De Aardappeleters).
There are so many that they nearly overwhelm the senses. And yet these comprise a mere fraction of the museum’s overall collection, which includes a brilliant array of Chagalls, Picassos, Monets, de Koonings, Mondriaans, Toulouse-Lautrecs, Miros, Braques, Degas, Cezannes and Matisses, along with the very latest (and very far out) creations of Holland’s current modern artists. The Stedelijk, whose address is 13 Paulus Potterstraat, is open weekdays and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.(Tel. +31 (0)20-5732911 Fax +31 (0)20-5732789)
Hits: 44