Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam holds more work by Vincent van Gogh than any other place in the world. You walk in through a glass entrance hall on Museumplein, and a little later you are face to face with the Sunflowers. Paintings, drawings and letters show how a minister's son found his own recognisable style in roughly ten years. You watch his colours change from the dark browns of Brabant to the bright yellows of Arles. Below you read what to look out for, how the collection stayed together and how to plan your visit.

What you see in the Van Gogh Museum

The permanent collection follows Vincent's life in order. You start with The Potato Eaters from 1885, a dark painting of a farming family at the dinner table. Then you see how Paris lightened his palette and how Arles gave him the bright colours he is famous for. The Yellow House and The Bedroom were painted there. The Sunflowers of 1889 and Almond Blossom of 1890 also belong to the collection, as does Wheatfield with Crows from his final summer. In between you find self portraits and drawings. So you see not only the famous canvases, but also the work that led up to them.

Letters, friends and exhibitions

The museum keeps far more than paintings. Alongside more than 200 canvases it holds hundreds of drawings and around 700 letters. Many of those letters were written to his brother Theo, and they tell the story behind the pictures: what Vincent saw, what he struggled with and what he wanted to achieve. You also find work by friends, contemporaries and artists who inspired him. Temporary exhibitions put Vincent in conversation with later artists; earlier shows featured David Hockney, Etel Adnan and Edvard Munch. Those exhibitions give you a reason to come back.

How the collection stayed together

That so much of his work survived in one place is thanks to his family. After Vincent died in 1890, his unsold work went to Theo, who died about six months later. Theo's widow, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, then looked after the collection. She sold some works but kept many others. Her son, Vincent Willem, placed the collection in a foundation in 1962. The museum opened in 1973 in a building designed by Gerrit Rietveld, who did not live to see it completed. An exhibition wing by the Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa was added later. Since 2015 you enter through the glass hall on Museumplein.

Planning your visit to the Van Gogh Museum

Book your ticket online for a fixed start time before you travel. You need one even if you have a Museumkaart, the Dutch annual museum pass, or if you are 17 or younger and get in free. Once you are inside there is no time limit, so you can move through the rooms at your own pace. For more background, choose the audio tour or join a guided tour. Opening hours vary by month, so check them before you set off. The Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk Museum are a few minutes' walk away on the same square, and our overview of museums in Amsterdam shows what else is close by.

Frequently asked questions about the Van Gogh Museum

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