Rotterdam - Art & Culture

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Art & Culture

Rotterdam

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Overview

Art & Culture The guide was updated: 2023-04-06

Rotterdam has a rich cultural scene centred largely around the cultural axis between Museumpark and Witte de Withstraat. This area includes acclaimed museums like Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Kunsthal Rotterdam and The New Institute, where large and small (international) exhibitions for old and new art, design and photography are presented. The numerous galleries around Witte de Withstraat and the city centre are also well worth your time.

You don't necessarily have to head indoors to see art in Rotterdam, though. Pablo Picasso, Joep van Lieshout, Henry Moore, Paul McCartney, Elmgreen & Dragset: masterpieces by the world's most famous artists can simply be visited in public in Rotterdam. If you love street art, feast your eyes on the beauties around the Luchtsingel pedestrian bridge and the Hofbogen arches, where major and impressive wall paintings by local artists are progressively covering the walls.

Rotterdam also boasts many theatres, concert halls and arthouse cinemas where you go to be inspired and touched by (classical) music, theatre, cabaret, dance and musicals from local, national and international artists and companies.

Fans of arthouse films can indulge themselves at the charming old Cinerama cinema, at the LantarenVenster movie house or the new small Kino movie theatre. Or visit Rotterdam in January during the global International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is one of the oldest museums in the Netherlands. Throughout the year, the museum hosts a rich spectrum of temporary exhibits on a variety of subjects. Besides that, the collection of paintings, sculptures, drawings, etchings and objects is impressive. It features many major Dutch and European works spanning the period from the early middle ages to the 21st century, from Jeroen Bosch to Rembrandt and from Van Gogh to Salvador Dalí and Dutch Design. In the Museumpark, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is building an art depot: Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. It will make the entire collection of 145,000 objects accessible to the public.

Chabot Museum

Chabot Museum

Museum for international expressionism in one of Rotterdam’s most beautiful villas, a monument in International Modernist Style.

Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen

Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen

The public art depot for the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen provides an enormous amount of storage space for art, accessible to the public. Furthermore, there is a sculpture roof garden and a restaurant with a beautiful view over Rotterdam. The depot is scheduled to open its doors in early 2020.

Kunsthal Rotterdam

Kunsthal Rotterdam

The Kunsthal is housed in a building designed by OMA. The way that it joins the Westzeedijk, it resembles a modern version of a traditional Dutch dyke house. The Kunsthal presents several exhibitions simultaneously, taking visitors on an exciting journey through various cultures and art movements. From modern masters and contemporary art to forgotten cultures, photography, fashion and innovative design.

Museum Rotterdam, Museum of the City

Museum Rotterdam, Museum of the City

Museum Rotterdam is about the city and its people. It presents the past, present and future of Rotterdam in the spectacular building the Timmerhuis.

Witte de Withstraat

Witte de Withstraat

The ultimate arts and culture street in Rotterdam is known for its artistic, multicultural and lively character. Referred to as the city’s ‘Axis of Art’, it runs from the Maritime Museum to the Museumpark and is lined with galleries, avantgarde fashion boutiques, restaurants and (art) cafés.

Maritiem Museum

Maritiem Museum

Take a journey through the maritime world in the Maritime Museum with modern exhibitions for adventurers big and small. Discover how the port of Rotterdam began here, onboard of one of the historic vessels in the museum harbour.

Wereldmuseum

Wereldmuseum

The Wereldmuseum takes you on a journey around the world, offering insights into cultures and traditions different from our own. The artefacts are also a reflection of Rotterdam’s wanderlust, international connections, colonial past and trading spirit. Besides the primary collection the Wereldmuseum presents changing exhibitions that focuses on one continent or theme.

Van Nelle Fabriek

Van Nelle Fabriek

The Van Nelle Factory is a classic example of the Nieuwe Bouwen school of Dutch modernist architecture. The ingenious building was designed to provide all the facilities for the employees close at hand, keeping the building fully above-ground to create air, light and space. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2014.

Nederlands Fotomuseum

Nederlands Fotomuseum

With its impressive collection of more than 5.5 million photos, the Nederlands Fotomuseum is the leading national museum of photography in the Netherlands. The collection comprises an important part of the Netherlands’ visual heritage.

TENT Rotterdam

TENT Rotterdam

TENT is an exhibition room and addresses significant and current developments in contemporary art through varied exhibitions and events. TENT is a stepping stone for young artists, an ambassador for Rotterdam’s art.

Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art

Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art

One of the most important institutes for contemporary art in the Netherlands and internationally regarded as a pioneer.

ss Rotterdam

ss Rotterdam

The ss Rotterdam is the largest passenger ship in The Netherlands. You can come here just to enjoy a delicious meal at the restaurant or spend a night here, take a stroll on the deck and be amazed by all the beautiful artwork in different rooms.

Luchtsingel

Luchtsingel

The Luchtsingel connects Rotterdam North to the centre and revitalises a forgotten area. The project consists out of a wooden pedestrian bridge of 390 metres, The DakAkker (Urban Roof Farm) on Schieblock, a public area at the former station Hofplein and park Pompenburg. Crossing the pedestrian bridge brings you to Station Hofplein, the former station building that is now home to a number of restaurants, shops and a jazz club.

Het Nieuwe Instituut

Het Nieuwe Instituut

In Het Nieuwe Instituut, the Museum of Architecture, Design and Digital Culture shows temporary exhibitions with a recurring theme of innovation. In other words: the museum examines the designed world and how it is constantly being changed by new technologies, new ideas and shifting social priorities. The presentation, Surprising Finds from the Collection, can also be viewed. Its exhibits are regularly changed and include extraordinary drawings, photographs, objects and models from the extensive archives of Het Nieuwe Instituut.

Sonneveld House

Sonneveld House

The Sonneveld House stands adjacent to Het Nieuwe Instituut. Built in the early nineteen thirties, it is one of the best-preserved houses in the Nieuwe Bouwen style, the Dutch branch of the International School of Modernism. As a visitor, you can see for yourself what it was like to live in a hypermodern home in 1933.

Garage Rotterdam

Garage Rotterdam

Garage Rotterdam represents high quality contemporary art. The exhibitions are held around a theme reflecting recent developments in contemporary visual arts. The exhibition centre is located in a renovated Volkswagen garage.

Laurenskerk

Laurenskerk

The medieval Laurenskerk cuts a striking profile amid the bold modernity of the city's present-day architecture. You can browse the permanent exhibition 'A monument filled with stories’, or climb the tower on a guided tour for a spectacular view of the Rotterdam city centre. In front of the Laurenskerk you can find the statue of Desiderius Erasmus, a famous Renaissance humanist, theologian and philosopher who was born in Rotterdam around 1468.

Natural History Museum Rotterdam

Natural History Museum Rotterdam

Famous for its ‘Dead Animal Tales’, featuring the Domino Sparrow and the Do-Not-Swallow-Fish, this museum offers exhibits for people of all ages. Stuffed mammals, mounted birds, skeletons, insects, shells and fossils are permanently on display, and there is a fine curiosity cabinet.

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