Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum was full of great art, and I spent so long on the ground floor that I didn’t get up to the Dutch masters on the top floor until they were almost closing.

I was hesitant to visit this museum, but since we had a rainy day to spare and many friends suggested we visit, we decided that we should take in a bit of culture.

I was pleasantly surprised – they had two types of audio tours (one more historical and one more art oriented) – I went with the art tour and loved the historian that talked about his favorite pieces. The pieces that stand out in my mind are the Delft ceramics, doll houses, and of course Rembrandt’s Nightwatch.

Ditto to what foxinthesnow said, although when I compared what I saw to what my mum saw before the renovations, I don’t think we missed much.

I thought it was interesting to hear about colonial history from the Dutch point of view for a change (having studied Indonesian history and been to Indonesia a few times, and hearing their point of view). It seems everywhere you go they think their country is great and could do no wrong. Incidentally, the tropenmuseum had a fantastic display of Indonesian art and history (also from the dutch p.o.v.)

I decided after going here and then the Van Gogh museum that I am a much bigger fan of Van Gogh than Rembrandt, but it was still good. My favourite part of the Rijksmuseum is actually the building it is housed in, and the view of it from the river.

The Nightwatchmen was definetely worth seeing.

Rembrandt. Priceless paintings. Dutch masters. Large scale. Definitely worth visiting.