H’ART Museum Amsterdam: Exhibitions & Visitor Information

The classical-style building that now houses the H'ART Museum, then known as the Amstelhof, was completed in 1681. This structure would later serve as a retirement home for centuries before its transformation into an art museum.

In 1682, the Amstelhof building opened its doors as a retirement home specifically for elderly women, operating under the name Diaconie Oude Vrouwen Huys on the east bank of the Amstel river.

From 1817 onwards, the Amstelhof facility broadened its scope to accommodate both elderly men and women, leading to its renaming as Diaconie Oude Vrouwen- en Mannenhuis to reflect its expanded resident base.

The building, which had served as a retirement home under various names for centuries, was first officially named Amstelhof in 1953, a designation that persisted until its museum conversion.

The institution that would eventually become the H'ART Museum was formally established in 2004, initially operating as a satellite of the Hermitage Museum located in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The Amstelhof ceased its function as a retirement home in 2007, when its last inhabitants left the historic building to make way for its extensive renovation and transformation into a museum.

In 2008, the temporary museum that had been operating in the Neerlandia Building on Nieuwe Keizersgracht closed its doors, preceding the grand opening of the main museum facility the following year.

The Amstelhof building underwent extensive renovations costing €40 million to convert it into a museum. This work involved reconfiguring spaces, removing many existing walls, and restoring some areas to their original 17th-century appearance by 2009.

The museum was officially inaugurated on June 20, 2009, by Dutch Queen Beatrix and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. It subsequently opened its doors to the general public on June 21, 2009.

The Hermitage for Children, a dedicated facility located in the Neerlandia Building, opened concurrently with the main museum on June 20, 2009, after its predecessor, the temporary museum, closed in 2008.

The jubilee exhibition "Jewels! The Glitter of the Russian Court," which began in September 2019, was closed during the COVID-19 lockdown. Despite extensions, it failed to achieve necessary income, leading to a public appeal for funds in 2021 as the museum lacked its own collection for rescue funding.

On March 3, 2022, the museum officially severed its longstanding ties with the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, in direct response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine that occurred a week prior.

The museum officially changed its name to the H'ART Museum from September 1, 2023. This rebranding followed its decision to sever ties with its former partner, the Russian State Hermitage Museum.

In 2023, the H'ART Museum announced significant new collaborations with prominent international institutions, including the Smithsonian, the Centre Pompidou, and the British Museum, to present future exhibitions.