For the first time in history the most important museum in Holland underwent a complete transformation both of its building and its collection. On April 13 of this year the public was able to see the spectacular renovation of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Overseen by the Spanish architecture firm Cruz y Ortiz, the renovation transformed a building that "used to have labyrinthine construction; it was dark, dramatically altered by the passing of time and incapable of accommodating the large number of people that would visit it… We have reclaimed the essence of the original building," says Antonio Ortiz, one of the architects of the project.
The old building has been transformed into a 30,000 square meter (200,000 of exhibition space) space that includes a main entrance—better illuminated than before—a pavilion of Asian art, 80 exhibition rooms, 1.5 km of walking space, a 5,400 square meter library, a restaurant, two cafeterias that accommodate 500 people, and 14,418 square meters of garden. Likewise, the interior design of the main exhibition spaces has been revamped. The renovation project reached a total cost of 375 million euros.
The display of the permanent collection of the Rijksmuseum has also been completely updated. From the one million artworks it contains, 8,000 pieces have been selected to offer a panoramic perspective of the history of art in the Netherlands, from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century. The Hall of Honor—in which the masterworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals and Jan Steen are on display—along with 30 exhibition rooms dedicated to the Golden Century of Dutch art represent the heart of the museum. The Night Watch by Rembrandt is the only painting that will be displayed in the same place it used to be. A selection of art and design pieces from the first half of the Twentieth Century will also be exhibited.
The project was delayed for years because of protests from the city's Cycling Federation. This organization rejected the initial project because it limited the access of cyclists through the building's central corridor. To overcome this opposition, the architects had to design a second proposal that was different from the one presented in the international competition organized for the expansion and revamping of the building, and then a third and final initiative was presented that nicely balanced the needs of visitors and cyclists.