Amsterdam Attractions

Venue: Van Gogh Museum    When: Daily

Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum is one of the finest galleries in the city and houses the world's largest collection of works by Vincent van Gogh: 200 paintings, 500 drawings and 700 letters, as well as the artist's own collection of Japanese prints. It also hosts a full programme of temporary exhibitions.

The galleries of the permanent collection are divided into three sections, one devoted to Van Gogh himself, a second featuring other artists, with a third on the history of the collection. Van Gogh's art is organised chronologically, each section on a different phase of his life and work, coinciding with his move to a new location: Holland, Paris, Arles, Saint-Rémy and Auvers-sur-Oise.

The museum consists of two buildings. The main structure designed by Gerrit Rietveld opened in 1973, the Exhibition Wing by Kisho Kurokawa was completed in 1999. It is a light, white building of curving walls, with a pleasant café on the ground floor.