2_3_DiscoverBenelux_Issue14_January2015_Scan Magazine 1 26/01/2015 19:17 Page 39
Discover Benelux | Special Theme | A day at the Museum
OPPOSITE MAIN IMAGE: Dordtse masters at the Dordrechts Museum. Photo Huib Kooyker. OPPOSITE LEFT: Museum Hilversum. OPPOSITE RIGHT: Guitar by Pablo Picasso, 1919, from the Kröller-Müller Museum collection. ABOVE TOP: Van Abbemuseum, Young art. Photo: Peter Cox. ABOVE BOTTOM: Exterior of the Dordrechts Museum. Photo Huib Kooyker. ABOVE RIGHT: Flowers in a blue vase by Vincent van Gogh, 1887, from the Kröller-Müller Museum collection.
With this year’s special focus on Vincent van Gogh, as it is 125 years since his death, lesser known museums such as the Noordbrabants Museum in Den Bosch or the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo (see page 40) are certainly worth a visit. With their impressive Van Gogh collections, they will allow you to explore the work of the Dutch master away from the crowds of the capital.
Tucked away in the picturesque village of Giethoorn is the gemstone museum De Oude Aarde (see page 45). With the village’s idyllic canals instead of streets, a visit to the museum will definitely be worth the trip. Another little gem is Het Huizer Museum (see page 43) that shows the history of the beautiful fishermen’s town Huizen at just a 30 minute drive from Amsterdam.
For contemporary and modern art, the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven (see page 46) and Witte de With in Rotterdam (see page 43) offer a refreshing view with their internationally minded collections combining established and upcoming artists. For a more traditional approach, visit the Dordrechts Museum (see page 44) with art dating back 400 years. Established in 1842, it is actually one of the oldest museums in the country.
The Netherlands also counts many specialist museums. A wonderful example is Corpus, the museum in the shape of a person which explains the intricacies of the human body. Then Museum de Speelklok in Utrecht is completely dedicated to ‘self-playing instruments’ making a visit a musical festivity. In the Dutch media hub of Hilversum you will find the Museum Hilversum (see page 46), that covers wide-ranging topics related to media and
design, including news and travel photography and video art. If that is not enough, then the Kunsthal exposition centre in Rotterdam (see page 47) has a selection of temporary arts and culture exhibitions ranging from the world of James Bond to the Dutch Royal family and international artists. Moreover, it is located at a stone’s throw away from the Natural History Museum and the visuals art museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. With all these magnificent museums around the country, there is almost no reason not to leave the capital. If you do not have a chance to get out of Amsterdam however, the Belasting and Douane Museum (see page 42) is a brilliant interactive and revealing museum about the history of tax and border control.
Issue 14 | February 2015 | 39