Rijksmuseum Amsterdam: A National Museum of Art & History

The Rijksmuseum was established in The Hague on November 19, 1798, by the Batavian Republic. Its Minister of Finance, Isaac Gogel, advocated for a national museum, similar to the French Louvre.

The National Art Gallery, a precursor to the Rijksmuseum, opened on May 31, 1800, in Huis ten Bosch in The Hague. It exhibited approximately 200 paintings and historical objects from the collections of the Dutch stadtholders.

In 1805, the National Art Gallery relocated within The Hague to the Prince William V Gallery, situated on the Buitenhof.

On the orders of King Louis Bonaparte, the museum moved to Amsterdam in 1808 and opened in the Royal Palace in 1809. Paintings owned by Amsterdam, such as "The Night Watch" by Rembrandt, became part of its collection.

In 1817, the museum relocated to the Trippenhuis, which was subsequently found to be unsuitable for its function as a museum.

The historical objects from the Rijksmuseum's collection were moved to the Mauritshuis in The Hague in 1820.

In 1838, the museum's 19th-century paintings, described as "of living masters," were transferred to Paviljoen Welgelegen in Haarlem, the former summer palace of King Louis Bonaparte.

A design contest for a new Rijksmuseum building was held in 1863, but none of the entries, including Pierre Cuypers's second-place submission, were deemed of sufficient quality.

Pierre Cuypers won a new design contest for the Rijksmuseum in 1876 with a design featuring a combination of Gothic and Renaissance elements. Construction on the main building officially commenced on October 1, 1876.

Pierre Cuypers was the architect who designed the Rijksmuseum's current main building after winning a design competition in 1876, integrating Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles.

The current main building of the Rijksmuseum, designed by Pierre Cuypers and richly decorated with references to Dutch art history, opened to the public on July 13, 1885.

A new building, known informally as the 'fragment building' or 'south wing' (later the Philips Wing), was added in 1890. It was constructed from fragments of demolished buildings, showcasing Dutch architectural history.

The specific hall dedicated to Rembrandt's masterpiece, "The Night Watch," underwent a significant rebuilding project in 1906.

Between the 1920s and 1950s, the interior of the main building saw changes where most of its multi-coloured wall decorations were painted over.

During the 1960s, exposition rooms and several new floors were constructed within the two central courtyards of the museum, altering the building's interior layout.

The Rijksmuseum building was officially designated as a _rijksmonument_ (national heritage site) in 1970, recognizing its significant historical and cultural value.

The main building of the Rijksmuseum underwent a minor renovation and restoration in 1984.

A renovation of the museum's south wing, also known as the 'fragment building' or Philips Wing, was completed in 1996.

In 1996, coinciding with the completion of the Philips Wing renovation, the museum organized its first major photography exhibition, showcasing its extensive collection of 19th-century photographs.

The main building experienced minor renovations and restorations over the two-year period from 1995 to 1996.

Further minor renovations and restorations were carried out on the main building in the year 2000.

In December 2003, the main building of the Rijksmuseum closed its doors to the public to begin a major, comprehensive renovation project.

During the extensive renovation, approximately 400 objects from the collection, including Rembrandt's "The Night Watch," were temporarily exhibited in the 'fragment building' (Philips Wing).

The extensive renovation of the main building, designed by Spanish architects Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz, cost 375 million Euros and ultimately took almost ten years to complete due to unforeseen delays.

In 2012, the Rijksmuseum launched its Rijksstudio webplatform, making approximately 125,000 high-resolution images from its collection available for public download, with plans to expand this offering.

The large-scale reconstruction of the Rijksmuseum's main building, a crucial phase of its major renovation, was formally completed on July 16, 2012.

In March 2013, the museum's primary artworks, including Rembrandt's iconic "The Night Watch," were successfully moved back from the Philips Wing into the newly reconstructed main building.

The Rijksmuseum's main building officially reopened to the public on April 13, 2013, after a ten-year, 375 million Euro renovation, with Queen Beatrix presiding over the ceremony.

The Philips Wing of the Rijksmuseum reopened on November 1, 2014, marked by the exhibition "Modern Times: Photography in the 20th Century."

In 2019, to commemorate the 350th anniversary of Rembrandt's death, the museum mounted an exhibition showcasing all 22 paintings, 60 drawings, and over 300 prints by Rembrandt in its collection.

As of January 2021, the Rijksstudio platform hosts 700,000 works from the collection, all available under a Creative Commons 1.0 Universal license, making them copyright-free and royalty-free for public use.

In 2021, the Rijksmuseum presented an exhibition on the history of slavery in the Dutch colonial empire, focusing on over 1.6 million enslaved people and adding related labels to 77 permanent collection objects.

From February to June 2023, the Rijksmuseum hosted the largest-ever exhibition of Johannes Vermeer's works, showcasing 28 of his known 37 paintings, which sold out all time slot reservations.

In 2025, the Rijksmuseum announced its plans to partner with the municipality of Eindhoven to establish a new satellite branch. This future branch will display works from the Rijksmuseum's collection.