Art Talk: Rijksmusuem

The Art Talk highlight this year is Museums. I will highlight one each month.

As many of you know I really, really like the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Now let's talk about some of the details that make this museum so special.

First, it was designed by Pierre Cuypers, who also designed Amsterdam Central.

The Great Hall

The Great Hall was my favorite place in the museum, even though it was often crowded. Pierre Cuypers made a spacious place filled with so many fine details and art all around. In the ceiling, the floor, the walls and the the stained glass windows.

Gallery of Honor

This space was also designed up Pierre Cuypers and it houses the best of the 17th Century Dutch Masters and at the far end is the Nightwatch Gallery. The details of the gallery is stunning!

Art Talk: Gallery of Honor Tour at the Rijksmuseum

Some of the great Dutch Masters and their work in the Gallery of Honor.


Johannes Vermeer	Jan Steen	Rembrandt van Rijn

The Nightwatch Gallery

This painting by Rembrandt is the the highlight of the Rijksmuseum collection and the painting is in a glass contraption right now being worked on and analyzed.

The Asian Pavilion

On the Sunday of HiveFest @jarvie and I did a highlights tour of the museum and went to the Asian Pavilion. It was so great! I have a great interest in Asian culture and even took a Asian art class at ASU some years ago.

Art Talk: The BEST OF TOUR at the Rijksmuseum

The Library

It is the largest public art history library in the Netherlands. It was also so colorful and appealed to my sense of order!

Other galleries

8,000 of the 1,000,000 pieces of art on display and so many different galleries all over 323,000 square feet (30,000 square meters) of the museum.

Art Talk: Madonna and Child at the Rijksmuseum

and a very special treat for me, Laocoön in bronze!

The Gardens

Oh the gardens! The gardens are wonderful and surround the entire museum and are open to the public. While I was in Amsterdam there were 9 Barbara Hepworth sculptures on display in the garden.

Barbara Hepworth at the Rijksmuseum
Share Our World: Rijksmuseum Garden

Rijks Restaurant

Let's end with a special treat. The Rijks Restaurant is located in the Philips Wing of the museum and is a very fancy, Michelin star restaurant. It was beautiful, fancy and had great food.

Restaurant Review: Rijks- My First Michelin Star Restaurant (8/10)

I am very excited to have the Rijksmuseum be the first museum I highlight in 2023. It was my favorite place in Amsterdam and I went back everyday to enjoy the feel of the genius that created the building and the art in it.