Arrive at Museumplein and Step Into the Bathtub
You come up from the canal ring into the open expanse of Museumplein in Amsterdam South, the Rijksmuseum standing to one side, the Van Gogh Museum to the other, the Concertgebouw close by. Among them, the Stedelijk announces itself differently: a white, smooth-sided form cantilevered over the pavement, covering the entrance to the 19th-century Neo-Renaissance building behind it. Locals call that 21st-century wing "the bathtub," designed by Benthem Crouwel Architects, and it houses the museum's current entrance. Walk beneath it and you enter a museum for modern art, contemporary art, and design. The contrast is immediate: the Dutch Neo-Renaissance building was designed by Adriaan Willem Weissman, opened in 1895, and the new wing butts against it without apology. That collision is the first thing the Stedelijk shows you, before you have seen a single work.
What You'll See: Three Rooms of a Century and a Half
Once inside, you move through a collection that runs from the early 20th century up to the present day, gathered into three broad groups: works from 1880–1950, the 1950s–1980, and the 1980s to today, each set against the social and political movements around it. Names on the walls include Vincent van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Jackson Pollock, Karel Appel, Andy Warhol, Willem de Kooning, Marlene Dumas, Lucio Fontana, and Gilbert & George.
- The Malevich holdings. In 1958, director Willem Sandberg acquired a group of works by Kazimir Malevich, giving the Stedelijk the largest collection of Malevich works outside Russia.
- Photography. Sandberg began acquiring photography in 1956, making the Stedelijk the first western European museum for modern art to collect it. The holdings run from interbellum figures like Erwin Blumenfeld, László Moholy-Nagy and Man Ray through post-war Dutch photographers including Eva Besnyö, Ed van der Elsken and Cas Oorthuys, on into photojournalism and fine art photography from the 1970s onward.
- Video and installation. The museum made its first video art acquisitions in the early 1970s, works by European artists including Jan Dibbets and Gilbert & George. That collection has since grown to around 900 works and installations, with pieces by Nam June Paik, Bill Viola and Bruce Nauman.
- Design, prints and applied art. A department of applied art was established in 1945, and a department of prints and drawings in 1954. The earlier Museum of Applied Art, opened on the ground floor of the west wing in 1934, brought in furniture, glass, pottery, china, graphic design and posters, textiles, masks, batik, metalwork and stained glass, with an emphasis on Dutch work from around the turn of the century.
Beyond the permanent rooms, temporary exhibitions occupy the first-floor Gallery of Honor and a large lower-level gallery, while the space around the historical staircase hosts rotating graphic design shows. Past temporary exhibitions have featured artists such as Lily van der Stokker. The contemporary section is titled "Tomorrow is a Different Day," and includes artists such as El Anatsui.
How to Move Through It
The layout was improved after a 2017 addition by Rem Koolhaas, who also designed the new extension. Free audio tours are available, and you can access them through the museum website as well. Note that the Stedelijk Base wing is not accessible to mobility scooters, though free wheelchairs and walking aids are available. The Stedelijk draws fewer people than the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum next door, which means you can often stand in front of a Malevich or a Warhol without negotiating a crowd. That is worth something on a Museumplein afternoon.
Eat, Browse, and Take the Weight Off
The main cafe, Ten, sits on the ground floor and serves pastas, salads and burgers. A smaller cafe in the historic part of the building, at the top of the staircase, offers drinks and snacks. Before you leave, the gift shop is the first Netherlands branch of the German publisher Walther König, specializing in art-related literature alongside design gifts, textiles and jewelry. It is the kind of shop where you lose twenty minutes without noticing.
When to Go, and What to Know Before You Do
Amsterdam's most popular museums get crowded in summer peak season, so it is worth looking into advance tickets or arriving off-peak, very early in the morning. The quality museums cluster in Zuid, the Canal District and Plantage, and the Stedelijk sits squarely in the first of those, on Museumplein. If you plan to visit several museums, the Museumkaart costs €75.00 for adults and €39.00 for those under 18 (2025), covers admission to over 500 museums across the Netherlands, and can be bought at most major museums. For a shorter stay, the I amsterdam City Card starts at €65 (2025) per day and includes access to Amsterdam museums, public transport and discounts on many attractions. Tickets to the major museums, including the audio guide, can be bought early from the tourist information desk at no extra cost.
Make a Day of the Square
You are standing in the middle of one of Europe's densest concentrations of art. The Rijksmuseum, the country's national museum, holds paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, including Rembrandt's Night Watch and Vermeer's Milkmaid, and reopened after a reconstruction of about ten years. The Van Gogh Museum holds the largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings in the world. The Concertgebouw is a short walk away. Build your day around the Stedelijk, arrive early, take the audio tour, eat at Ten, and let the bathtub be the first and last thing you see. Then start planning: pick your dates outside the summer crush, decide whether the Museumkaart or the City Card suits your itinerary, and book your slot before you fly.