HISTORY OF THE RIJKSMUSEUM

From 1800 to 2012/13
When the Rijksmuseum was opened to the public for the first time in 1800 as the Nationale Konstgallerij (National Art Gallery), it was housed in the Huis ten Bosch in The Hague and the collection consisted primarily of paintings. In 1808 it moved to Amsterdam, where it was to be seen first in the Palace on Dam Square and later in the Trippenhuis on Kloveniersburgwal.

The present building came into use in 1885. At that point the Nederlandsch Museum voor Geschiedenis en Kunst (Netherlands Museum for History and Art), formerly in The Hague, was added to the Rijksmuseum, forming the basis for the collections of Dutch History and Sculpture and Applied Art.

The Beginning
On 19 November 1798 Jan Alexander Gogel decided that the Netherlands should have a national museum on the French model. The remains of the collections amassed by the stadholders were brought together in eight rooms in the west wing of the palace of Huis ten Bosch. Under the collection's first director, Cornelis Roos, the rooms were filled with 200 paintings and on 31 May 1800 the Nationale Konst-Gallerij opened its doors to the public. Three years later, the first purchase was made, 95 guilders being paid for Jan Asselijn's Threatened Swan, still one of the highlights of the Rijksmuseum collection.

Move to Amsterdam
In 1808 the collections were moved on the orders of King Louis Napoleon to the former town hall in Amsterdam. There they joined the paintings of the city of Amsterdam, which included Rembrandt's Night Watch, and went on display in the rooms of the top floor: a Royal Museum in a Royal Palace. As the collection grew, it soon outgrew its palatial quarters and the museum was forced to find new premises. In 1817 the collection was placed on display in the Trippenhuis, a 17th-century mansion on Kloveniersburgwal. At the same time, it was decided to house the more recent art at Paviljoen Welgelegen in Haarlem. William I, King of the Netherlands, gave the museum a new name: 'Rijks Museum'.

Cuypers Cathedral
To solve the problem of where to house the collection it was eventually decided in 1876, after years of negotiation, to build the present Rijksmuseum. Architect P.J.H. Cuypers designed a historical building using a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles. It was officially opened in 1885. By now the collection had been augmented by the collection of Amsterdam municipality, which included the estate of A. de Hoop, with paintings such as the Jewish Bride by Rembrandt. The new building also provided space for the Museum of History and Art from The Hague, later absorbed as the Dutch History and the Sculpture and Applied Art departments. Meanwhile, the collection of 19th-century art at Paviljoen Welgelegen in Haarlem was also moved into the new building.

Renovations
Over time many alterations to the original design have been made. One renovation followed another in quick succession. In 1906-1909 and 1913-1916 a new wing was added for the collection of 19th-century art, which had grown substantially because of the Drucker-Fräser bequest. It was known as the Drucker-Fräser Extension and is now the South Wing. After the Second World War the collection of the Friends of Asian Art was also kept in the extension. In the 1950s and 1960s the two courtyards were filled with exhibition rooms. During the coming renovation the plan is to remove these blocks, so that the courtyards will again have light and space. The aims of this major renovation are to do justice to Cuypers's original structure, to make daylight an important factor once more and to create good logistical conditions. The new Rijksmuseum will then be ready for the 21st-century visitor.