Rijksmuseum

Item

Title
Rijksmuseum
Creator
Cruz y Ortiz (Spanish architectural firm, founded 1971)
Petrus Josephus Hubertus Cuypers (Dutch architect, 1827-1921)
City
Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
GPS
57.245247
Country
Netherlands
Date Created
1876-1885 (creation)
2003-2013 (restoration)
Century
19th century
Classification
Architecture and City Planning
Style/Period
Gothic Revival
Nineteenth century
Renaissance Revival
Cultural Context
Dutch
Materials
red brick
stone
iron
glass
glazed ceramic tile
Subject
art museums, Gothic Revivial
Description
exterior view, exterior view of façade
Museumstraat 1
The Rijksmuseum (translation: State Museum) is the Dutch national museum for arts and history, first founded in 1800 in The Hague
it was moved to Amsterdam in 1808 under King Louis Napoleon. P.J.H. Cuypers is known as ‘the Dutch Viollet-le-Duc’ because he restored numerous medieval buildings and followed the French theorist’s principles of structural rationalism and geometric proportion
he could also be dubbed the Dutch William Morris because of his decisive role in revitalizing the arts and crafts in the Netherlands. For the Rijksmuseum commission (contest 1876), Cuypers created an influential national style by combining such medieval, Renaissance and Baroque motifs as pointed ribbed vaults, round-headed windows and mansard roofs, with modern materials such as iron and glass. The complex decorative program required the talents of a host of artists and artisans working in a variety of media, a consummate example of the 19th century ideal of the Gesamtkunstwerk. On 13 April 2013, after a ten-year renovation which cost € 375 million, the main building was reopened by Queen Beatrix. The restoration restored much of the original Cuypers interior, which had been altered over the years.
Source
Michael Peters
Photographer
Michael Peters
Rights Holder
© Michael Peters
© Texas Tech University Libraries
Access Rights
Users must request permission from the copyright holder for all use in publications, including theses and dissertations.

Cruz y Ortiz (Spanish architectural firm, founded 1971) and Petrus Josephus Hubertus Cuypers (Dutch architect, 1827-1921), “Rijksmuseum”, Arch Design Images, accessed December 25, 2024, https://exhibits.lib.ttu.edu/s/archlib/item/44571