The Museum's collection evolved around the art collection
of the lawyer Boijmans who bequested it to the city of Rotterdam. Industrialist
Van Beuningen was very important in its development and financed many purchases.
He was also a financial driving force behind the construction of the present
building. The new building was necessary as the collection had outgrown its
location in the Schielandshuis (now historic museum). It was designed by city
architect Van der Steur and finished in 1935.
The collection is wide ranging and covers a period starting in hte middle ages
through present day. The museum is focussed on four areas: old masters, prints
and drawings, decorative art and modern art. Besides a permanent exhibition the
museum has many changing exhibitions in the field of modern art.
In the field of Old Masters the emphasis is on master from
the both the Northern and Southern Low Countries from the 15th and 16th
centuries and on Dutch 17th century masters like Van Eyck, Rubens and Rembrandt.
Top piece is Brueghel's (Pieter
the Elder) tower of Babylon from 1563 . The three Mary's at the grave
by Van Eyk from 1435 is the only Van Eyk in the Netherlands. The
museum owns a couple of oil paintings made by Rubens in 1636/37 as a
design for the decorations for Spanish king Philip IV's hunting castle
Torre de la Parada. The Nereïde riding on a triton is one of them.
Besides a large collection of graphics, prints cabinet
holds one of worlds most important collections of drawings. Numerous schools are
represented. The collection
contains masters like Pisanello, Dürer,
Rembrandt, Watteau, and Cézanne.
The collection of Decorative Art and Design has implements from the
middle ages till present. Important are its collections of majolica, tin,
silver, glass, pre-industrial utensils and modern design. Museum also focusses
on Industrial Design.
Above all the museum is one of the most important in the field of modern art
from 1850 up to the present time. The collection contains among others famous
works by surrealists Margritte and Dalí. Also some modern
classics by e.g. Monet and Kandinsky. Recent German and American art and modern
sculpture are also of some importance. By Monet the the museum has The
poppy field (1881) and The fisherman's hut at Varengeville (1882). By
Kandinsky the museum has thirteen works in all, starting with a fairy
tale like representation form 1904 and ending with a painting from 1935
characteristic for the periods organic and abstract idiom. Highlight of the
collection is Lyrisches from 1911.
open: tue-sat 10-17, sun & hol. 11-17, closed 1 jan, 25 dec en 30 apr.
Address
Museumpark 18-20
3015 CX Rotterdam
phone 010 - 44 19 400
fax 010 - 43 60 500
Website: : www.boijmans.rotterdam.nl
e-mail : info@boijmans.rotterdam.nl
Getting there :
the museum is a fifteen minute walk from the Central Railway Station;
Public Transport: from the Central Station tram #5, ap Witte de Withstraat;
Bus #32 & #39, ap Rochussenstraat;
Metro (subway) station Eendrachtsplein
Parking Museumpark