The last stop during my Amsterdam holiday was the Rijksmuseum. (It’s taken me a little longer to post my review on it as I took far too many photos on my way around, but it’s finally here!)
As the number one thing to do in the city according to TripAdvisor, we couldn’t miss a visit to the Rijksmuseum (meaning National Museum in English). Located in Museumplein, or the museum district, it stands proudly across a canal with its gothic redbrick architecture and glaring I Amsterdam sign.
The whole place is extremely polished, and it’s not surprising for €17 a ticket. Large airy rooms display art, sculptures, historic artifacts, and contemporary furniture, giving you more than enough to look at over a day visit.
In any city I go to, I look for cultural inspiration as a way to explore influences on the society I’m visiting, and also get a better understanding of what I’m naturally drawn to and what pushes my buttons (in both a good and a bad way). As with any National Museum, there’s going to be a massive mix of globally significant pieces, but even in the Rijksmuseum you’ll find Dutch-specific galleries such as their naval section, the beautiful library, and paintings by Dutch masters Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals.
One display that really shocked me was the the collection of clay face imprints displayed on the fourth floor; these depict Asian men that were discovered by European travellers. Wanting to show the differences in their facial features, they took clay casts of men by the dozen, seeming so culturally ignorant in this day and age. It shows just how far we have come as a world!
Overall, it was a really pleasant day out, and an informative one too!