No building in the Netherlands has such a tempestuous relationship to Dutch identity as the Rijksmuseum. This book traces the history of the national Rijksmuseum project from its birth, midwifed by the architect P.J.H. Cuypers to the formulation of the restoration plan and the long road to the successful reopening in 2013.
The Rijksmuseum has been viewed - and criticised - as a national symbol ever since it was built in 1885. Its neo-Gothic architecture was deemed too Catholic, the building too large and complex. And yet the 'Rijks' proved an effective mirror and signboard for the Dutch national self-image.
In this book, a team of specialists exhaustively documents the design history of the building while taking into account the cultural, social and political environment. It explores the building's relationship to the collection, its positioning in the city and the role played by museum directors, the Chief Government Architect and the ministries, heritage conservation of!cials, the architects Cruz y Ortiz and Van Hoogevest Architecten, and the interior architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte in bringing about the most famous renovation in the Netherlands.