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Telegraph
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The 10 best museums in Amsterdam
For a small country, the Netherlands has made a huge impact on world art, both back in the 17th century, then again with straight lines and bold primary colours in the 20th – with Van Gogh slipped in along the way. So, the Big Three museums – Old Masters, Van Gogh and modern art respectively – lead the way. But Amsterdam is a treasure box of other attractions, too, from a quirky collection of mechanical pianos, through canal-side mansions dripping with chandeliers and shining with silver, to boundary-bursting photography, and an urban explosion of street art and graffiti. All our museum recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert. Find out more below or for further inspiration, see our guides to the city's best hotels, restaurants, shopping, bars & cafés, attractions and free things to do. Find a museum by type: Art History Culture Art Rijksmuseum One of the world's great art museums adds glittering gold and silver, centuries-old costumes, furniture fit for royalty, and precious dolls' houses to a parade of Old Masters that includes Rembrandt, Vermeer, Jan Steen and Frans Hals. Insider tip: First check out the exceptional centuries-old treasures in the Asian Pavilion downstairs, and save the Old Masters till after 3.30pm, when the halls are less busy. Neighbourhood: Museum Quarter Metro: Trams 2, 3, 5, 12; Vijzelstraat metro Website: Van Gogh Museum More of Van Gogh's canvases hang here than anywhere else in the world, including Sunflowers and Wheatfield with Crows, alongside sketches, letters and much else, in an imaginative display that brings you up close to the man himself. Insider tip: Pre-book as far in advance as you can, and aim for early in the week, after 3.30pm to avoid the really busy periods. Neighbourhood: Museum Quarter Metro: Trams 2, 3, 5, 12; Vijzelstraat metro Website: Stedelijk Museum This museum is home to all that has rocked modern and contemporary art, both Dutch (De Stijl, CoBra, Mondrian) and international (Picasso, Malevich, Warhol), from the 20th century till now. And there's a fine collection of design, too. Insider tip: It's hidden at the back of the museum downstairs, but don't miss the Appelbar, the Stedelijk's original refreshment kiosk with bright murals by CoBrA artist Karel Appel. FOAM Blockbuster shows and retrospectives of big-name photographers (such as Richard Avedon and Cartier-Bresson) share space with radical new talent, and forays into the furthest limits of where photography can take us. Solo shows, themed exhibitions and plenty of discussion forums join the mix. Insider tip: Buy a 'FOAM Edition' – an original photo by a past exhibitor, in the FOAM Gallery shop at the top of the building. Return to index History Verzetsmuseum (Museum of the Resistance) A riveting insight into life in the Netherlands under the Nazi occupation, and of the Dutch resistance movement. Interactive displays, along with the personal stories of heroes, Nazi collaborators and ordinary people trapped in between put you right in the moment. Insider tip: Press a doorbell to hear the various excuses neighbours offered for not taking on an onderduiker (secret lodger, hiding from the Nazis). It makes it all seem very real. Neighbourhood: Amsterdam East / former Jewish Quarter Metro: Tram 14; Waterlooplein metro Website: Joods Cultureel Kwartier (Jewish Cultural Quarter) Amsterdam's former Jewish quarter is home to monuments and museums that explore a community that made an essential contribution to the city: a culturally rich Jewish Historical Museum, the magnificent 17th-century Portuguese Synagogue and a sobering National Holocaust Museum. Insider tip: A combined ticket valid for the historical museum, the holocaust museum and the Portuguese Synagogue is valid for a week and good value. Return to index Culture Museum Van Loon Of all the canal houses open to the public, this 17th-century mansion is the one that most has the atmosphere of an (admittedly very grand) family home. Among the portraits and tinkling crystal you are back in another age – but it feels as if the owners might be back any minute and catch you there. Insider tip: Don't miss the elegant formal garden, hidden from the street view behind the house. Neighbourhood: Canal Belt Metro: Tram 2, 4, 12, 17. Vijzelgracht metro Website: Huis Marseille Grand canal house meets fascinating photography, Huis Marseille stages engaging and challenging contemporary photo and video exhibitions, often hung in ways that respond to its historic architecture, drawing on outside artists as well as its strong in-house collection of mainly Dutch, South African and Japanese work. Insider tip: Look up! The ceiling in the Garden Room is by Jacob de Wit, the leading 18th-century Dutch interiors painter. Neighbourhood: Canal Belt Metro: Tram 2, 12, 17; Rokin metro Website: STЯAAT: Street Art Museum Amsterdam A wharf-side warehouse in former docklands offers the wall space necessary for gigantic displays of street art and graffiti. Abstract or graphic, startling or soothing, there's work by both local and international artists, and even workshops if you want a go yourself. Insider tip: A Museum Card is not valid for this museum, but there's plenty of street art outside as the area is a hotspot for local graffiti artists. Geelvinck Pianola Museum Discover a fascinating collection of self-playing pianos, from the Charlie Chaplin honky-tonk variety to sophisticated instruments whose scrolls reproduce every nuance of the original pianist's playing – with a collection of original scrolls created by the likes of Prokofiev and Debussy. Insider tip: See and hear the machines put through their paces, sometimes in combo with live musicians at one of the regular 'recitals'. Return to index How we choose Every attraction and activity in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from world-class museums to family-friendly theme parks – to best suit every type of traveller. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up to date recommendations. About our expert Rodney Bolt lighted upon Amsterdam nearly 30 years ago after flitting through Greece, Germany, and the UK, and nothing could persuade him to leave. He has written on everything he loves about the city for publications worldwide, and co-authors the Peter Posthumus mysteries, all set in Amsterdam. Strolling along the canals still tops his list of life's pleasures.
Telegraph
02-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Painting once owned by first British prime minister fetches record fee
A Canaletto painting of Venice owned by Britain's first prime minister has fetched a new auction record for the artist. Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day (c. 1732), was sold to an anonymous bidder for £27.5 million (£31.9 million with fees) at Christie's in London last night. The painting adorned the walls of Number 10 Downing Street during the 20 year tenure of Sir Robert Walpole, in the 1700s. Andrew Fletcher, Christie's global head of the Old Masters Department, said the piece was 'unquestionably the greatest work by the artist to have come to the market in a generation.' He said: 'Seldom does a true masterpiece such as this – particularly by a painter as important as Canaletto – appear on the art market. 'This extraordinary painting of the grandest and most familiar view of Venice, by the city's most recognisable painter, dates to Canaletto's finest period and is as notable for its illustrious provenance as much as for its impeccable condition.' Christie's King Street headquarters had been decorated with a reproduction of the painting in the lead up to Tuesday's Old Masters Evening Sale, where the Venetian's work had been expected to fetch £20 million. The oil on canvas artwork was formerly accompanied by a pendant showing The Grand Canal, looking north-east from Palazzo Balbi to the Rialto Bridge. The pair had remained together until Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day, was last sold at Paris auction house Ader Tajan in 1993. Appearing at auction for the first time in nearly 250 years, the Venetian's work fetched 66 million French francs (£7.5m), setting a record for an Old Master sold at auction in France. The pendant, Grand Canal from Palazzo Balbi to the Rialto, was later sold at Sotheby's in London in 2005, for £18.6m, which was formerly the record auction price for a Canaletto. Discovery The painting's presence in Sir Robert's collection was first noticed by British Art historian Sir Oliver, who discovered a reference in the 1736 manuscript catalogue of paintings at 10 Downing Street and in the 1751 auction catalogue when they were sold by Sir Robert's grandson, George. While it is not known when Sir Robert acquired the Canaletto, it is likely that his son, Edward, facilitated the deal after his time spent in Venice between 1730 and 1731. Purchase of the paintings may have been prompted by the refurbishment of 10 Downing Street in 1732-35 after the residence was offered to Sir Robert by King George II in 1732. Falling on the fortieth day after Easter Sunday, the Feast of the Ascension of Christ was a staple of the Venetian calendar until the fall of the Republic in 1797. On this day alone would the Doge use Bucintoro, the official galley of the Doge of Venice and a symbol of the Serenissima, to sail out to the lido and cast a ring into the water as a symbol of Venice's marriage to the sea. The vessel depicted in Canaletto's work, the last to be made at the Arsenale, was designed by Stefano Conti, and decorated by the sculptor Antonio Corradini. Giovanni Antonio Canal, known as Canaletto, was born in Venice in 1697. He became a favourite of British collectors, visiting England repeatedly between 1746 and 1756.
Reuters
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Canaletto painting, once owned by first British prime minister, heads to auction
LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - A painting by Italian artist Giovanni Antonio Canal, best known as Canaletto, which was once owned by Britain's first prime minister, heads to auction next month, with a price estimate of more than $27 million. "Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day", from around 1732, has only been offered for auction twice before and will lead the July 1 "Old Masters Evening Sale" during Christie's Classic Week in London. It is listed with an "estimate on request, in excess of 20 million pounds" ($27.09 million) price tag. The painting depicts the Bucintoro, the official barge of the Doge of Venice, returning to the quay side on the feast of the Ascension. "It's a ten out of ten on every measure... This is the grandest view you could possibly conceive of Venice at its grandest moment, Ascension Day, with all of the pomp and ceremony," Andrew Fletcher, Christie's global head of the Old Masters Department, told Reuters. "It's in unbelievably beautiful condition, partly because it's passed through so few collections over its lifetime." The painting looks towards the entrance of Venice's Grand Canal as the Bucintoro returns to the Doge's Palace. "Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about this painting is that it is possibly the picture which set off the craze for works by Canaletto in the United Kingdom, which of course was the country and the people who were his greatest patrons," Fletcher said. It once hung at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of British prime ministers. It was first recorded there in 1736, in the collection of Sir Robert Walpole, generally regarded as Britain's first prime minister. It was sold at auction after his death and bought by the financier Samson Gideon. It remained in Gideon's family until 1930 and last came to auction in 1993. "It is painted in the early 1730s, which is generally considered the apex... of Canaletto's output," Fletcher said. "This is the time where he had left behind the sort of ultra atmospheric views of the 1720s, had found this formula on which his fame would then ride - this sort of very detailed but actually quite limited palette, but focusing very much on the detail of, and the beauty of, the Venetian architecture and people." ($1 = 0.7382 pounds)
Irish Independent
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Five Turner works to be auctioned on 250th anniversary of painter's birth
Born in 1775, Joseph Mallord William Turner was a painter and printmaker during the English romantic period and was most famed for his landscapes, often of a nautical theme. Christie's auction company, which sold a Turner watercolour for £5.8 million in 2006, will present several of his works for auction this July. Among the pieces being sold is a watercolour titled, Lake Brienz, With The Setting Moon, during the Old Masters Evening Sale on July 1. It is estimated to fetch between £600,000 and £800,000. There is also View Of Stoke House, which carries an estimated selling price of £20,000 to £30,000, and depicts a figure sketching what is thought to be a self-portrait in the foreground. This piece, along with two others will be put for sale as part of the Old Masters, 19th Century Paintings And Drawings From A Private Collection: Selling Without Reserve event taking place on July 2. Another of the pieces in this sale depicts the Cornish coastline around Pendennis Castle and carries an estimated selling price of £60,000 to £100,000. One other Turner work, a pencil and watercolour on paper, will be part of Christie's Old Masters To Modern Day Sale: Paintings, Drawing Sculpture, also taking place on July 2. These sales are part of Christie's Classic Week, which forms part of the auction company's programme of events for its London summer season. Earlier in the year Tate Britain announced it would celebrate the 250th anniversary of Turner's birth with a new room showcasing his work and also said it would open a new video installation about Turner's travels across Europe, among other things. Every other year the gallery hosts a prize ceremony for a prestigious contemporary art award named after the painter which is awarded to a British artist annually.
South Wales Guardian
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Five Turner works to be auctioned on 250th anniversary of painter's birth
Born in 1775, Joseph Mallord William Turner was a painter and printmaker during the English romantic period and was most famed for his landscapes, often of a nautical theme. Christie's auction company, which sold a Turner watercolour for £5.8 million in 2006, will present several of his works for auction this July. Among the pieces being sold is a watercolour titled, Lake Brienz, With The Setting Moon, during the Old Masters Evening Sale on July 1. It is estimated to fetch between £600,000 and £800,000. There is also View Of Stoke House, which carries an estimated selling price of £20,000 to £30,000, and depicts a figure sketching what is thought to be a self-portrait in the foreground. This piece, along with two others will be put for sale as part of the Old Masters, 19th Century Paintings And Drawings From A Private Collection: Selling Without Reserve event taking place on July 2. Another of the pieces in this sale depicts the Cornish coastline around Pendennis Castle and carries an estimated selling price of £60,000 to £100,000. One other Turner work, a pencil and watercolour on paper, will be part of Christie's Old Masters To Modern Day Sale: Paintings, Drawing Sculpture, also taking place on July 2. These sales are part of Christie's Classic Week, which forms part of the auction company's programme of events for its London summer season. Earlier in the year Tate Britain announced it would celebrate the 250th anniversary of Turner's birth with a new room showcasing his work and also said it would open a new video installation about Turner's travels across Europe, among other things. Every other year the gallery hosts a prize ceremony for a prestigious contemporary art award named after the painter which is awarded to a British artist annually.
