Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam: Modern & Contemporary Art

The Vereeniging tot het Vormen van een Verzameling van Hedendaagsche Kunst (VVHK) was founded in 1874. This society was established to house the art and antiques collection donated by Sophia Adriana de Bruyn to the city, laying the groundwork for the museum.

Sophia Adriana de Bruyn was instrumental in the museum's origins, funding a significant portion of the construction costs and donating her collection of art and antiques to the city of Amsterdam in 1874.

The Stedelijk Museum's original Dutch Neo-Renaissance style building, designed by architect Adriaan Willem Weissman, was constructed between 1891 and 1895 at Paulus Potterstraat, a short distance from the Rijksmuseum.

The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, officially opened its doors to the public on September 14, 1895, as an initiative of local authorities and private individuals. Its initial collection included militaria, Asiatic art, and artifacts from other museums.

Cornelis Baard, initially appointed as curator in 1905, was promoted to museum director in 1920. During his tenure as curator, the local authority began building its own collection of modern art.

The museum initiated an active program of acquiring art in 1930, marking a significant expansion of its collection-building efforts to include modern art.

In 1932, a dedicated purchasing committee was established with two members from the VVHK and two from the local authority, overseeing all art purchases for the museum.

The Stedelijk acquired M.B.B. Nijkerk's collection of books in 1933, which subsequently broadened the museum's focus to include book design and typography in its scope.

The Museum of Applied Art opened on the ground floor of the west wing on December 15, 1934. Its collection featured furniture, glass, pottery, graphic design, and textiles, with an emphasis on Dutch work.

David Röell, who had previously served as secretary of the VVHK and worked at the Rijksmuseum, took over as the museum's director in 1936.

In January 1938, David Röell appointed Willem Sandberg as the new curator. Sandberg would later become the museum's director in 1945, initiating significant changes.

In 1938, director Röell had the polychrome staircase whitewashed and yellow skylight glass replaced. Curator Sandberg covered interior walls with white jute, creating an early forerunner of 'white cube' gallery spaces.

Willem Sandberg, previously the curator, took over as director of the Stedelijk Museum in 1945. His directorship marked a radical expansion in the museum's collecting policy and programs.

Under Willem Sandberg's leadership, a department of applied art was formally instigated in 1945, reflecting a broadening scope of the museum's collection and exhibitions.

At the start of 1950, the Stedelijk Museum began to present modern music, diversifying its cultural offerings beyond solely visual arts.

In 1952, the Stedelijk Museum became the host for the newly established Nederlands Filmmuseum and began regularly showing films, expanding its role in the cultural landscape.

An annex known as the Sandberg Wing was built in 1954 to specifically accommodate and showcase experimental art, reflecting the museum's progressive collecting policy.

A department dedicated to prints and drawings was formally instigated in 1954, further expanding the museum's collection and exhibition scope.

In 1956, Willem Sandberg initiated the acquisition of photography for the museum, making the Stedelijk the first Western European modern art museum to actively collect photography.

By 1956, the museum saw the addition of various new facilities, including a reading room, a print room, a museum restaurant and garden, and a new auditorium for film screenings and musical performances.

In 1958, Willem Sandberg acquired a significant group of works by Russian artist Kazimir Malevich, establishing the Stedelijk Museum with the largest collection of Malevich works outside Russia.

By 1962, the Vereeniging tot het Vormen van een Verzameling van Hedendaagsche Kunst (VVHK) handed over most of its collection to the Stedelijk, including works by notable artists such as Cézanne and Van Gogh.

Edy de Wilde took over as director from 1963 to 1985. Under his leadership, the Stedelijk began building its first collection of American contemporary art.

In 1963, Wim Crouwel and his design company, Total Design, began working for the Stedelijk Museum, establishing a consistent grid-based visual identity for catalogues, invitations, and posters using the Univers typeface.

In 1971, a communications department was formed at the Stedelijk, prompted by internal debates regarding the museum's social and educational functions and its public engagement.

The museum acquired its first video art pieces from European artists, including Jan Dibbets and Gilbert & George, in the early 1970s, marking an expansion into new media art forms.

By the mid-1970s, following the closure of its last period rooms, the Stedelijk Museum transitioned to become exclusively a museum dedicated to modern art.

On March 21, 1986, Gerard Jan van Bladeren vandalized Barnett Newman's painting 'Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue III' (1967) with a utility knife during a psychotic episode.

On May 20, 1988, three significant paintings—Van Gogh's 'Vase with Carnations,' Jongkind's 'Street in Nevers,' and Cézanne's 'Still life with bottles and apples'—were stolen. All three were recovered undamaged on May 31, 1988.

In the early 1990s, a competition was held to renovate the museum due to a lack of modern facilities. Robert Venturi won the contract, though he was later replaced in 1996.

In 1993, a leak in the museum's roof caused damage to several large paintings, including works by Ellsworth Kelly and Julian Schnabel, underscoring the urgent need for facility upgrades.

Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira replaced Robert Venturi in 1996 to lead the museum's renovation project, though approval for his design took six years and involved significant modifications.

On November 21, 1997, Gerard Jan van Bladeren, the same vandal, attacked Barnett Newman's painting 'Cathedra' (1951), leading to his permanent ban from the museum.

In 2001, the museum's collection of Ukrainian/Russian/Soviet art was expanded with drawings by Kazimir Malevich and other Russian avant-garde artists from the Khardzhiev-Chaga Cultural Centre.

At the end of 2003, the original Adriaan Willem Weissman building was closed at the insistence of the fire department, marking the beginning of extensive renovation work.

During the major renovation of its main building, the Stedelijk Museum temporarily relocated to the old Post CS Building, operating there for four and a half years from 2004 to 2008.

In 2006, the city council removed the Stedelijk Museum from its direct control, transforming it into an independent foundation that leases the building and manages the municipal collection.

As part of the major construction and renovation project, the Sandberg Wing, originally built in 1954 to house experimental art, was demolished in 2006 to make way for new additions.

Construction started in 2007 on the major new extension designed by Benthem Crouwel Architects, which would eventually be colloquially known as 'The Bathtub' due to its distinctive shape.

In November 2009, the museum began a comprehensive project to digitize its historical archive, which contains approximately 1.5 million documents spanning from 1895 to 1980.

From August 2010 until January 2011, the Stedelijk Museum opened its doors with 'The Temporary Stedelijk,' a unique program in the restored, yet unfinished historical building during renovation.

In May 2011, during an AFC Ajax victory celebration on Museum Square, supporters damaged the rooftop and glass panels of the Benthem Crouwel Wing, resulting in an estimated €400,000 in damages.

Contractor VolkerWessels finished the construction of the new Benthem Crouwel Wing in February 2012, allowing for the installation of the critical climate control system before the grand reopening.

Armand Mevis and Linda van Deursen redesigned the museum's logo and visual identity, which was unveiled on September 23, 2012, coinciding with the museum's full reopening. The new logo features a large sans-serif 'S'.

After eight years of extensive renovation and expansion, the Stedelijk Museum fully reopened to the general public on September 23, 2012, with the inaugural group show 'Beyond Imagination'.

In 2018, a monumental mural created by Keith Haring in 1986 on the Stedelijk Museum's storage facility was revealed after being covered by aluminum sheets for years. This 40-foot mural is his largest public work.