8 must-see art exhibitions in the Netherlands in 2025

It’s a hugely busy year for art exhibitions in the Netherlands in 2025, with major shows planned on everything from sculpture to photography, and even a sprinkle of Tilda Swinton!

And while there are many very exciting Amsterdam exhibitions coming up, your eyes shouldn't solely be on what's on in the capital. There's blockbusters scheduled in towns and cities right across the country, from Otterlo to the Hague.

So here are eight stand-out Netherlands art exhibitions that are either open to visit right now, or coming up later in the year.

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American Photography at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

This landmark exhibition is, incredibly, the very first comprehensive survey of American photography ever held in Europe. There'll be over 200 photographs on display, inviting visitors to reflect on America’s cultural and social history like never before.

The blockbuster will demonstrate how the medium has permeated every aspect of our lives since its invention: in art, news, advertising and everyday life. There'll be some of the world's biggest names on show, including Nan Goldin, Richard Avedon, Andy Warhol, and Diane Arbus.

Many of the works come from the Rijksmuseum's new photography collection, which has been built up over the past decade, and are being shown for the first time. Now open until 09 June 2025 — rijksmuseum.nl

• Read my review of the American Photography exhibition at the Rijksmuseum

American Photography at the Rijksmuseum. Photo: maxwell museums

Anselm Kiefer: Sag mir wo die Blumen sind at the Van Gogh Museum + Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam

This Anselm Kiefer exhibition celebrated the 80th birthday of one of the world's greatest living artists. So it's fitting that this giant of contemporary art gets a giant Amsterdam exhibition that actually is held across two major museums. The Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum will hold this ambitious show together — the first time in their history these next-door neighbours have mounted a joint show.

Anselm Kiefer, Sag mir wo die Blumen sind (2024), installation view at studio. Copyright: Anselm Kiefer. Photo: Nina Slavcheva

Visitors will get to discover Kiefer's decades-long fascination with Van Gogh, as well as get a new perspective on his own artistic evolution. A major highlight will be a monumental new frieze created by Kiefer specially for the occasion. Measuring 24m in length, this brand new painting will fill the historic staircase at the Stedelijk. Now open until 09 June 2025 — vangoghmuseum.nl

New Paris: From Monet to Morisot at Kunstmuseum Den Haag in The Hague

Paris is the focus of this sublime-sounding Impressionist show. 65 paintings from some of the most famous artists of the Impressionist movement will go on display — including Manet, Renoir, Degas, Bazille, Caillebotte, Cassatt, and Morisot. Collectively they will show the evolution of the French capital in the 19th century. It was a time that saw Paris transform into the vibrant city we know today.

Claude Monet, Quay du Louvre, 1867, Kunstmuseum Den Haag

The stunning centrepiece will be the landmark showing of three early paintings by Claude Monet. Each painted in 1867 and from a balcony at the Louvre museum, they show views of Paris that symbolise the radical change in the city. This exhibition marks only the second time these three outstanding city-scapes have been together in Europe since their creation. Now open until 08 June 2025 — kunstmuseum.nl

• Planning a visit? Here are the best museums to visit in the Hague

The Family of Migrants at Fenix in Rotterdam

Fenix is Rotterdam's newest cultural space and is the first museum that examines the story of migration through contemporary art. When it opens in May, its first temporary exhibition will hone in even further, examining how the movement of people has been captured in photography.

Work by over 130 photographers from around the world will be on display, ranging from the 19th century to today. In all the images, people are depicted moving from their homes — from boarding a train, crossing a border and making a fresh start. The photos are about leaving, sorrow, love, family and hope. Some will be familiar, world-famous images, while others have never been seen in public before. Opens 16 May 2025 — fenix.nl

Dorothea Lange. Migrant Mother. 1936. Collection Fenix. Courtesy of Library of Congress

Charley Toorop. Love for Van Gogh at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo

Charley Toorop was one of the most distinctive Dutch painters of the 20th century. Daughter of the renowned Symbolist artist Jan Toorop, she grew up surrounded by avant-garde artists which would go on to influence her bold style. Yet there was one artist above all others that drew her admiration: Vincent van Gogh.

This exhibition will display just one van Gogh work amongst over 55 of Toorop's. Yet visitors will come away with a new understanding of the profound way her life and art was shaped by him. With the Kröller-Müller Museum now possessing the largest museum collection of Charley Toorop's work in the world, it's a remarkable chance to see the path of artistic inspiration on the canvases before your eyes. Opens 24 May until 14 Sep 2025 — krollermuller.nl

Ryan Gander x Edgar Degas: Pas de Deux at Museum Beelden aan Zee in The Hague

One of the world’s most-loved sculptures is coming to this fun and thoughtful Hague exhibition. Degas’ iconic sculpture La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans — or The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer — is one of the most recognisable sculptures of modern art. The work depicts a young ballerina in a restrained and realistic pose.

Here it will be seen with 24 other ballerina sculptures, all created by the British artist Ryan Gander. Since 2008, Gander has been working on a series in which he riffs off Degas’ ballerina. But instead of the 19th century’s air of poise, Gander places his dancer in unexpected or everyday situations. With Gander’s works in constant dialogue with Degas, it’ll produce a show that interrogates the role of art in presenting reality versus fiction. Opens 20 June 2025 until 04 January 2026 — beeldenaanzee.nl

To loving beyond our means, or, Armed with razor-sharp wit, 2015, Ryan Gander. The Ekard Collection

CUTE at the Kunsthal Rotterdam

The hit London exhibition of 2024 comes to Rotterdam. Cute — originally hosted at Somerset House — explores the irresistible power of cuteness in contemporary culture. From the origins of kawaii and the emergence of Hello Kitty, to the influence of emojis, internet memes, cuddly toys, and adorable robot designs, it examines how this phenomenon has (and could further still) evolve from a seemingly harmless concept to a major cultural trend.

Visitors can expect AI-generated images, heaps of manga, and a whole room dedicated to cats. But don't just think this is a lightweight show meant to end up on Instagram. The Guardian's critic said it will both "will both entrance and repulse" as it delves into the complexities of cuteness in the internet age. Opens 05 July until 23 November 2025 — kunsthal.nl

Tilda Swinton — Ongoing at the Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam

Oscar-winning British actor Tilda Swinton is creating an "exclusive and immersive" new exhibition for the Netherland's national film museum that will celebrate both co-creation in movie-making and pushing boundaries. Visitors are promised brand new works in a show exploring Swinton's life story, with a particular focus on the artistic collaborations that have been integral to her four-decade career.

Tilda Swinton attends the opening ceremony during the 72nd Cannes Film Festival. Photo: Shutterstock

It'll be a journey for all the senses, and naturally there'll be an extensive programme of film screenings alongside too. Many of Swinton's leading performances can be revisited, as well events reexamining two of her biggest influences: film-makers Derek Jarman and Joanna Hogg. Opens 28 September 2025 — eyefilm.nl