Stedelijk Museum, designed by Benthem Crouwel Architects, Amsterdam

Stedelijk contemporary art museum reopened in Amsterdam this week after a major renovation and expansion, and a near nine-year closure. Dubbed 'the Bathtub' by locals, it seems ideally shaped to carry on the popular tradition of nicknaming extraordinary modern structures after ordinary household items.
Designed by Mels Crouwel of of Amsterdam architecture practice Benthem Crouwel, the sleek, 10,000sq m synthetic-fibre extension succeeds in accomplishing what architect AW Weissman's original Victorian-era red-brick building increasingly could not. It provides vaulted, spacious galleries, one of which is the largest in the Netherlands, and streamlines movement between them via a 'tube' of escalators that allows visitors to bypass the crowded administrative areas between exhibits.
The new structure incorporates a restaurant with a terrace and a sunken library. And it pivots the museum's foyer toward the green of the Museumplein - also home to the Van Gogh museum and Rijksmuseum - rather than to the noisy, tram-packed street.
Stedelijk's new glass foyer features the museum's latest purchase, Richard Serra's steel-plate 'Sight Point (for Leo Castelli)'.
The white tub, composed of a record 271 panels of Twaron aramid fibre and Tenax carbon fibre, is likely to become a new icon even in Amsterdam, a city in which contemporary monuments debut almost monthly. But it does nothing to obscure the original building, whose grand entry hall and statement staircase are still highlights of the Stedelijk experience. The traditional building will house the museum's permanent collection of 90,000 objects dating from the 1870s; new acquisitions include Marlene Dumas's controversial 'Osama' and Luc Tuymans's 'HM'.
Temporary exhibitions will launch in the new annex, starting this week with 'Beyond Imagination', a tribute to contemporary Dutch art featuring home-grown working artists.
The sleek, 10,000sq m synthetic-fibre extension was designed by Mels Crouwel of Amsterdam architects Benthem Crouwel
The museum's entrance hall used to face the busy street. Crouwel pivoted it, so that it is now oriented toward the green Museumplein
Museumplein is also home to the Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum
The new wing, though iconic, does nothing to obscure the original building, which was designed by AW Weissman in 1895
The original building's grand central staircase is still a highlight
Crouwel has designed smooth transitions between the old and new spaces...
... including a pair of escalators that travel through a tube between exhibits, allowing visitors to avoid the crowded administrative areas
The escalators bypass the foyer, transporting visitors from the vast sunken gallery to the upper floors
In the new space are a main-floor restaurant and terrace
One of the new galleries is the largest in the Netherlands
A 1956 mural by Karel Appel now covers the wall of the former restaurant space
The glass-walled entry hall is beneath what locals in Amsterdam are calling 'the bathtub'
Staircases in the new wing have no risers, to keep sightlines open
Outside, the stark contrast between the two wings, nearly 120 years apart, belies the easy transitions inside
The original galleries were whitewashed before the renovation, though all the heritage details were preserved
ADDRESS
Museumplein 10
Amsterdam
-
Last chance to see: Sharjah Biennial 15, ‘Thinking Historically in the Present’
Built on the vision of late curator Okwui Enwezor, the Sharjah Biennial 15: ‘Thinking Historically in the Present’ offers a critical reframing of postcolonial narratives through major new commissions
By Amah-Rose Abrams • Published
-
For London Gallery Weekend 2023, the mood is hardcore
With London Gallery Weekend 2023 almost upon us (2 – 4 June), here’s our list of must-see art exhibitions
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Birkenstock celebrates its most memorable styles with colourful capsule (and matching socks)
Birkenstock marks the 40th, 50th and 60th anniversaries of the Gizeh, Arizona and Madrid sandals, respectively, with limited-edition versions
By Jack Moss • Published
-
Kunlé Adeyemi’s water cities and visions of future living at Het Nieuwe Instituut
‘Water Cities Rotterdam. By Kunlé Adeyemi’ opens at Het Nieuwe Instituut in The Netherlands, offering visions of future living
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
The Museum of Amazonian Science offers global hope and sustainability
An environmentalist’s ambitious project includes the Museum of Amazonian Science in Brazil and fulfils his vision of powering up the local bioeconomy and saving humanity
By Scott Mitchem • Published
-
Rotterdam house is a sustainable home with a defining timber roof
Terphouse is a green Rotterdam house by Studio AAAN, featuring a distinctive low-slung, timber roof
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Sydney Modern opens its doors and reveals immersive SANAA architecture
SANAA’s Sydney Modern opens its doors to the public in Australia
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Refreshed Gainsborough House in Suffolk gears up for reopening
Thomas Gainsborough House in Suffolk reopens to a design by architecture studio ZMMA
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Etruscan Galleries at Fondazione Luigi Rovati by Mario Cucinella just flow
In Milan, the Etruscan Galleries at the Fondazione Luigi Rovati, designed by architect Mario Cucinella, open to the public
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
-
Morphosis unveils flowing Orange County Museum of Art
Explore the curved shapes and expressive interiors of the Orange County Museum of Art by Morphosis, now open in California
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
-
Buffalo AKG Art Museum by OMA looks to the future
The Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formerly the Albright-Knox Art Gallery) is reborn with a striking OMA-designed extension, site-specific installations, and a new focus on the local community
By Amy Serafin • Last updated