University & College Art & Design Trip To Amsterdam

The Netherlands’ largest museum houses a fantastic collection of Dutch masters from Rembrandt to Vermeer and Frans Hals. Students can trace the developments and continuities of artistic styles and techniques. Reopened in April 2013 after major renovations, the collection also encompasses objects from Netherlands’ cultural history and Asian art.

The largest collection of Van Gogh paintings in the world is housed here, along with the works of his contemporaries, Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. A visit here helps students understand the artistic context in which his works were created and the influence they had upon others.

Tip: The permanent collection includes 200 paintings, 500 drawings and more than 700 letters.

Set on the banks of the Amstel River, this is an exhibition space and cultural education centre with a focus on Russian history and culture. View pieces from the Hermitage collection in St Petersburg, including paintings, sculptures, applied art and archaeological discoveries.

Tip: Amsterdam’s Canal Ring inspired Peter the Great to found the city of St Petersburg.

This spacious museum shows modern and contemporary art and design from early 20th century up to the 21st century. It reopened in 2012 after renovations and features artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Jackson Pollock, Karel Appel, Andy Warhol, Willem de Kooning and Gilbert and George.

Rembrandt’s former home on the Jodenbreestraat has been restored to its former glory and furnished with items and works of art from the 17th century. See where his son Titus was born, the workshop where he printed his etchings and, of course, the master’s studio. Photo © Lian Chang.

Tip: The museum has around 250 etchings by Rembrandt on display.

Media students will find plenty to watch at this cinematography museum in a brand new building on the banks of the River IJ behind Central Station. It shows films and exhibitions covering the history of cinema from the first silent movies to the latest digital productions. EYE screens classic and art-house movies and organises festivals and retrospectives.

Students can get involved in this creative hub where photographers meet for lectures, forums and discussions. The brightly lit, white rooms of this revamped canal-house are filled with work from established names and emerging talent. In recent years it has shown work by Diane Arbus, Helen Levitt, Anton Corbijn, Alex Prager and Cy Twombly.