The Stedelijk Museum (Municipal Museum) in Amsterdam, Netherlands is a museum for contemporary and modern art and design. The museum can be found next to the Van Gogh Museum on the Museumplein square. Book Stedelijk Museum tickets here.
The original red brick and stone Stedelijk building dates back to 1895 having been designed by Dutch architect A. W. Weissman. Its bell tower and gable ends were inspired by 16th century Dutch Renaissance architecture.
The modern annex designed by Benthem Crouwel is attached to the old building like a giant white bathtub. Completed in 2012 at a cost of over €125m, the new wing provides the museum with a combined total of 8,000m² exhibition space.
The main entrance faces Museumplein and the hall has large glass windows giving plenty of natural light.
The Stedelijk has an important collection of contemporary and modern art – works include those from pre-war masters Cézanne, Chagal, Malevich, Matisse and Picasso; examples of the Dutch De Stijl Movement such as Pieter Mondriaan’s colour abstracts and Gerrit Rietveld’s chair and bedroom designs can be seen.
Also paintings by Karel Appel and others from the avant-garde CoBrA art movement; a collection of pop-art from the likes of Lichtenstein, Polke and Warhol; minimalist art from Judd, Newman and Stella.
Stedelijk also features a collection of 20th century industrial design, graphic design and applied arts – including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glassware and a comprehensive collection of rare posters; cutting-edge installations and sculptures, video and photographic presentations.
The Stedelijk Museum is spread over 3 levels. STEDELIJK BASE is the permanent installation in the lower level gallery featuring around 400 diverse works from the Stedelijk collection dated from the late 19th century to 1980. These are sorted around influential artists, social themes and historic art movements.
From here the long escalator takes you up to the installation Untitled (Past, Present, Future) by Barbara Kruger.
Continuing on the first floor of the old building is the new collection presentation called Tomorrow is a Different Day, which has works from 1980 onwards.
The remaining parts of the museum are used for special temporary exhibitions.
There is a free audio tour which is available in 6 languages (Dutch, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish) for STEDELIJK BASE and in 2 languages (Dutch and English) for Tomorrow is a Different Day.
Those who want to do more in depth research on the collection can access the Stedelijk Museum library reading room in the basement of the new wing (below the shop). It is open by appointment only.
The museum shop can be found in the main foyer run by book sellers Walther König.
Restaurant TEN Good Food Café (T: +31(0)20 573 2651) at the other end of the foyer is open to the public from 1000-1800 selling a reasonably wide selection of drinks, snacks and mains.
For fans of modern art the Stedelijk will make for an interesting visit.
Nearby is the smaller MOCO Museum for contemporary art; COBRA Museum in Amstelveen features the avant-garde 20th century art movement.
Stedelijk Museum Essential Info
| Opening Times | Daily 1000-1800. |
| Admission Prices (2024) | €22.50 for adults, €10 for students and CJP cultural youth pass holders. Free entry to children 0-18, Iamsterdam City Card, GO City All Inclusive Pass and Museumkaart holders. You can book Stedelijk Museum tickets online here Alternatively, order the Iamsterdam City Card online here which includes free entrance to the Stedelijk Museum. Or book a Go City: Amsterdam All Inclusive Pass here |
| Getting There | Stedelijk is a 10 minute walk from Leidseplein. From Amsterdam Central, trams 2 and 12 stop at van Baerlestraat; or take metro line 52 to Vijzelgracht station which is about 8 mins walk away; from Amsterdam Zuid, take tram 5 to Concertgebouw; from Schiphol airport, bus 397 stops at Concertgebouw. |
Stedelijk Museum, Museumplein 10, Amsterdam
T: +31(0)20 573 2911, stedelijk.nl
Last updated 11 January 2023. This article was first published in 2013 and has been regularly updated.
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