Question:
All previous Amsterdam posts are on http://home.earthlink.net/~primos

For my and your pleasure I visited the new Van Gogh museum inAmsterdam, this Wednesday July 21, Belgian National Holiday, talkingadvantage that in Holland it was a usual working day.One thing was for sure: the moulting had become indispensable: thebuilding, designed by architect Gerrit Rietveld in 1973 was conceivedto receive about 60,000 visitors a year. Well, in 1997 1,000,000people visited the museum!!"We renovated everything: only the walls and the roof remained",explained the director, John Leighton. And not even that: certainwalls have been destroyed to open the galleries as wide as possible.The result is that I got a formidable impression of space andluminosity. Well separated one of each other, on a white or light bluebackground, the works of Van Gogh are shown into relief of greatmajesty. The visitor is able now to linger and dream in front of thepaintings, which was unthinkable in the old museum. No more jostlingand hassling, that's the past, finito!!The visit is even more striking and thrilling than before. On thefirst floor, the chronological order of presentation of the artistsimply called here "Vincent", allows the visitor to follow step bystep the evolution of his style and genius, from the rural scenes ofhis birth country Holland until the landscapes and still lives paintedin France.Not only did I have the impression that there as more space and lightbut also more life in the museum. If you happen to go and look at thethird floor, the paintings of Van Gogh are judiciously placed next toworks of his contemporary artists to show how Van Gogh got inspired bythem and how he inspired them. Through the delicious subtlety of thepicture hooking, you assist at the unexpected encounter of womenpainted by Manet and Van Gogh, at a symphony of pink shades on Monetlandscapes, Van Gogh and Schuffenecker. A regal!!

The new museum is resolutely "high-tech"! On the second floor there isnow an Internet space where the public can consult the web site of thenew museum and learn more about Vincent by reading his mail to hisbrother Theo and consulting reference books and bibliography about theartist. In the basement, the auditorium has been equipped by thelatest audio-visual material to receive conferences, lectures, moviesand theatre plays. And what was very important: the air control systemhas been completely updated. It is obvious that the Van Gogh museumhas the ambition to become THE museum of the 21th century, completingits neighbours the Rijksmuseum (16th to 18th century) and Stedelijkmuseum (20th and soon 21th century). They all signed an agreement oflending their works one to the other.But let me describe the museum lay out and architecture. Newambitions, new means.Conceived by the Japanese Kisho Kurokawa, the new wing of the museumis a sort of metallic grey vessel hidden almost completely hidden(3/4) in a pit. At the bottom of this pit a thin water pellicle flowsaway, sparkling in the sun. On the northern faзade, the prints studyprofiles like a drawer half way pulled out of a commode.The Dutch, never stingy of tender nicknames, baptized this titan,granite and aluminium construction already as " the mould" or the"biscuit box".Nevertheless, the symbiosis wanted by Kurokawa with the old buildingis a success and the lighting is exceptional. Not surprising if youknow who George Berne is: the architect who signed the Louvre andPicasso museum lightings.This new wing is only dedicated to receive temporary exhibitions(2,300 square meters), which is double than before. Thus, the museumcan expose 80 % of the collection in the old, renovated building. Theresult is that nothing more sleeps in the reserves for our greatestpleasure and happiness.

Answer: I have been to the museum the 2 August 1999 and I'm agree with yourtext. I have never been before and I never see the old but it's wasexcellent. It's very clear and beautiful the only wrong point was thenumber of visitor