About the Amsterdam Museum | Amsterdam Museum

Our story

The exhibitions we present deal with a wide range of subjects in our city. We gather and share knowledge, put art and heritage on display, and tell relevant stories – from the past, present, and future. Historical and contemporary narratives that shape the city in all its layers and forms. We do this at our locations in the historic city center – the Amsterdam Museum on the Amstel, the Willet-Holthuysen House, and the soon-to-be entirely renovated Burgerweeshuis complex. We also do this at locations in different parts of the city, such as Nieuw-West, Zuidoost, and Noord, together with our many partners.

We care for and research the more than 100,000 objects in our collection of art and heritage. This collection is in large part owned by the city of Amsterdam and therefore also by its inhabitants. The museum ensures that it remains available as a source for new presentations, research, and inspiration. We are also actively committed to expanding the collection through co-creation and participatory collection projects. We are increasingly gathering intangible heritage and digitally collected stories as well. Offering commissions to contemporary makers is essential in this regard. By expanding our collection in this way, we can give new perspectives on the existing collection and work toward an inclusive Amsterdam collection for current museum visitors, yet with a focus on future generations.

We tell meaningful stories through our public and education programs while encouraging others to tell their stories as well, with an increasing emphasis on children and young people. We do this within the museum and at other locations in the city. We organize learning programs, guided tours, lectures, and talk shows. Our work is multimedial and encompasses television programs, podcasts, and documentaries. In developing these we work with a broad group of makers and partners, to encourage an inclusive approach and provide a platform for the many communities in the city. Through our intrinsic faith in co-creation and participation, we establish connections, share our knowledge, and carry responsibility as a network organization within the city’s ecosystem and beyond, on a national and international level.

Onze locaties

Onze hoofdlocatie, het Burgerweeshuis in het centrum van de stad, wordt momenteel gerenoveerd en is dus gesloten. We verwachten daar in 2029 weer terug te keren. Onze tijdelijke hoofdlocatie, aan de Amstel 51, is per december 2025 gesloten. Op dit moment hebben we twee permanente locaties. Amsterdam in Motion in Cultuurdorp Westergas. Daar vertellen we het verhaal van Amsterdam, door de grootste multimediale maquette van een stad ter wereld en de bijbehorende verdiepende expositie. In onze tweede permanente locatie, Huis Willet-Holthuysen aan de Herengracht, laten we in het historische grachtenpand zien hoe het echtpaar Abraham en Louisa Willet-Holthuysen leefden. Hun verhaal wordt regelmatig in context geplaatst met hedendaagse tentoonstellingen. Daarnaast zoeken we de stad op en zijn we de komende jaren op diverse, wisselende tijdelijke plekken aanwezig.

Onze collectie

We onderzoeken de ruim 100.000 objecten in onze collectie kunst en erfgoed. Het museum beheert deze collectie, die grotendeels in eigendom is van de stad Amsterdam en daarmee ook van de bewoners. We zorgen ervoor dat deze beschikbaar blijft als bron voor nieuwe presentaties, onderzoek en inspiratie. Ook zetten we actief in op het uitbreiden van de collectie door middel van co-creatie en participatieve verzamelprojecten, waarbij immaterieel erfgoed en digitaal verzamelde verhalen een groeiende rol spelen. Daarnaast staat opdrachtgeverschap aan hedendaagse makers centraal. Door onze collectie op die manier uit te breiden, bieden we nieuwe perspectieven op de bestaande collectie en werken we aan een inclusieve Amsterdam-collectie voor de huidige museumbezoekers, met aandacht voor toekomstige generaties.

Onze publieks- en educatieprogramma's

We vertellen met ons publieks- en educatieprogramma betekenisvolle verhalen en stimuleren anderen ook tot het vertellen van verhalen, met een toenemende aandacht voor kinderen en jongeren. Dat doen we in het museum zelf en op andere plekken in de stad. Zo organiseren we onderwijsprogramma’s, rondleidingen, lezingen en talkshows. We werken multimediaal en ontwikkelen televisieprogramma’s, podcasts en documentaires. Bij dit alles werken we samen met een brede groep makers en partners, om zo een meerstemmig geluid te laten horen en platform te bieden aan de vele gemeenschappen in de stad. Vanuit ons intrinsieke vertrouwen in co-creatie en participatie leggen we verbindingen. We delen onze kennis en nemen we onze verantwoordelijkheid als netwerkorganisatie in het stedelijk ecosysteem, en daarbuiten op nationaal en internationaal niveau.

Our mission

We connect Amsterdam’s inhabitants and visitors with each other and the city. We do this through programming, presenting, and collecting objects and stories from Amsterdam.

Our vision

For centuries, Amsterdam has been a city that attracts people from all over the world. Long praised as an esteemed place for living, working, and finding safe haven, it continues to draw new inhabitants and visitors. The result is a dynamic, multifaceted, and cultured city that is constantly changing.

On the eve of its 750th anniversary, the city is larger and more diverse than ever. This brings with it challenges at the metropolitan level, similar to every major city nationally or internationally. Amsterdammers are faced with challenges related to climate change, inequality, tourism, housing shortage, and well-being. The city is changing as a result. Quality of life, social cohesiveness among inhabitants, and relations with visitors are therefore put under pressure.

As a safe public place, the Amsterdam Museum contributes to strengthening community among Amsterdam’s inhabitants and visitors by making the history, the heritage, the art, the culture, and the narratives of the city audible, visible, and accessible. This allows inhabitants and visitors to shape a better city for everyone, together. In doing so, we spark a dialogue about who we are, were, and will be in a beautiful, robust, and diverse city that faces serious challenges in this millennium.

Core values

Truly Amsterdam, Open, Connecting, Narrative en Relevant

Truly Amsterdam

The Amsterdam Museum belongs to everyone who feels a connection with Amsterdam – in the Netherlands and the rest of the world.

Open

The Amsterdam Museum is open year-round and is a place where everyone is welcome. We regard our highly diverse city with an open mind. As a public organization, we remain transparent and accountable when it comes to our projects and processes. We are also constantly working on being an inclusive organization – both publicly and behind the scenes – to remain accessible to everyone in every respect.

Connecting

The Amsterdam Museum involves the entire city in its activities. We focus on a broad audience from the city, the Netherlands, and the world. Our museum is part of a network, so trust and equality are the foundations of our cooperation with institutions, makers, and committed citizens. We utilize co-creation and co-production as fundamental principles. We create space for others and take our responsibility seriously as a central and inclusive institution in the Amsterdam art, culture, and heritage sectors.

Narrative

The Amsterdam Museum tells stories about the past, present, and future. We do this through an impressive and growing collection of heritage and art, layered and inclusive exhibitions, plus remarkable public, participatory, and educational programs.

Black Lives Matter demonstratie in het Nelson Mandelapark op 10 juni 2020 Luciano de Boterman

Relevant

The Amsterdam Museum is a place for sharing knowledge and meaningful stories, for seeing and better understanding each other. Everything happening in the city of today and the future is a subject for discussion. In this way we collaborate to make the city livable, for everyone. We carry responsibility for our urban heritage and regard the city from that position. We continue to pose questions, thinking and looking critically, and we actively allow space for the city’s many different voices. Our participation in this social dialogue is historical, in the present, and toward the future.