Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is due for a major renovation. This has been known for some time but more details are beginning to emerge. The museum aspires to raise its international profile further, building on Rotterdam’s modern tradition and mentality.
The imposing museum building in the heart of Rotterdam is now 83 years old. And in all those years, it has never had a substantial makeover. The extensions in 1972 and 2003 were intended to modernise the museum and provide additional space. But it is now high time that this prestigious building be transformed into a museum of the 21st century.
The renovation will begin in January 2019, reinstating architect Van der Steur’s original vision: an urban pearl filled with light for more visitors and more art. The museum’s principal remit is the preservation, management and expansion of its world-renowned collections. In addition, our international programme of temporary exhibitions is designed to inform, inspire and occasionally confront. With its collection, the arrival of the innovative Boijmans Van Beuningen Depot and its ground-breaking exhibitions programme, the museum has everything it needs to continue to play an important role on the international art scene.
During 2018, we are putting all our efforts into an inspiring programme in our existing building and are working on initiatives to remain active in the city and further afield after 2019. Under the working titles ‘Boijmans in the Hood’, ‘Boijmans Abroad’, ‘Boijmans in the Classroom’ and ‘Boijmans in South Rotterdam’, we are hatching plans for activities that will take place elsewhere while the museum is being rebuilt. We wish to be at the heart of the community and aim to remain an inspiring meeting place for art, artists and the general public in the future: an open house for young and old – across cultures and generations – that unites people in their love of art.