After almost 10 years of renovation, restoration and alteration, the completely renovated Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam re-opened to the public on 13 April. A new Asian Pavilion is part of the renewed museum.

The Rijksmuseum tells the story of the Netherlands from the Middle Ages to the present.  A new display of the collection, a renewed building, new public facilities, a revamped garden and a new Asian Pavilion - only Rembrandt’s most celebrated painting The Night Watch will return to its former place. The Rijksmuseum will be the first major national museum in the world to be open to the public 365 days per year.

The new Asian Pavilion

Surrounded by water, the new Asian Pavilion is made from Portuguese stone and glass, and is characterised by many oblique surfaces and unusual sightlines. It houses the museum’s rich collection of Asian art from China, Japan, Indonesia, India, Vietnam and Thailand, dating from 2000 B.C. to 2000 A.D. A total of approximately 350 objects will be on display.

Read about the Rijksmuseum renovation

Read more about the Asian Art Collection of the Netherlands (pdf.)

View images of the architecture

Top image: Source: Pedro Pegenaute  Cruz y Ortiz created the Asian Pavilion to house a collection that falls outside the chronological imperative of the main display.

Image (right): The Asian Pavilion in construction at the Rijksmuseum [courtesy Facebook page for Cruz & Ortiz architects]