Soak up some culture this fall: 5 impressive exhibitions in Amsterdam

From impressive sculptures to interactive art: these are the most talked-about exhibitions this fall in the capital.

Andrea Ferreira - Staff Writer • September 10, 2024

exhibitions this fall in Amsterdam — © THUIS / Erwin Olaf

Amsterdam art lovers are in for a treat: this season, the city offers a rich mix of exhibitions, ranging from historical explorations to contemporary reflections. Highlights include immersive experiences of 17th-century domestic life, groundbreaking modern sculpture, provocative photography, and thought-provoking installations about home and memory. Whether you’re drawn to iconic masterpieces or innovative new works, there’s something for every art lover in the city. Here are our favorite exhibitions this fall in Amsterdam. Erwin Olaf – Freedom

Erwin Olaf – Freedom is the first museum retrospective of the acclaimed Dutch photographer since his passing in 2023. The exhibition spans his entire career, featuring iconic series such as Ladies Hats, Chessmen, and Skin Deep, alongside lesser-known works, videos, sculptures, advertising projects, and personal archival material. The exhibition celebrates Olaf’s pursuit of personal freedom and his activism, and highlights his engagement with themes such as identity, sexuality, gender, and equal rights. It offers an extensive journey through his layered, visually striking body of work and his lasting influence on the art world. 📍 Location: Stedelijk Museum, Museumplein 10, 1071 DJ Amsterdam 📆 Dates: October 11, 2025 – March 1, 2026 Brancusi, The Birth of Modern Sculpture

fall exhibitions in Amsterdam — © @hart.museum / Constantin Brancusi, Eileen Lane, 1923. © Centre Pompidou

H’ART Museum presents Brancusi – The Birth of Modern Sculpture, a groundbreaking exhibition featuring more than 31 masterpieces by Constantin Brancusi, the father of modern sculpture. The works on loan from the Centre Pompidou in Paris have never before been shown in Amsterdam and include iconic pieces such as Princess X, The Kiss, and the towering Endless Column. Visitors can discover Brancusi’s quest for the essence of humans, animals, and architecture through his sleek, innovative forms. This is a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in the artist’s influential universe. 📍 Location: H’ART Museum, Amstel 51, 1018 EJ Amsterdam 📆 Dates: September 20, 2025 – January 18, 2026 At Home in the 17th Century

fall exhibitions amsterdam — © Rijksmuseum

At Home in the 17th Century offers an immersive look at daily life 400 years ago, with nine diorama-like displays filled with personal stories and objects. Visitors will meet a diverse group of people—from wealthy merchants to ordinary families—and discover how their homes and lifestyles reflected the contrasts in society. Highlights include the famous dollhouses of Petronella Oortman and Petronella Dunois. Designed by Steef de Jong and narrated by Helena Bonham Carter, the exhibition brings the 17th century vividly to life. 📍 Location: Rijksmuseum, Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam 📆 Dates: October 17, 2025 – January 11, 2026 Steve McQueen – Occupied City

The Rijksmuseum presents Occupied City, Steve McQueen’s 34-hour video artwork about Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation in World War II. The film is continuously projected onto the facade on Museumplein as a silent portrait of the city, and can be viewed with sound and voice-over in the auditorium on select days. The film takes viewers past more than 2,000 locations and reveals stories of persecution, resistance, and daily life. It is a powerful reflection on how the past continues to shape the present. 📍 Location: Rijksmuseum, Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam 📆 Dates: September 12, 2025 – January 25, 2026 HOME. The feeling of home in contemporary art

HOME. The feeling of home in contemporary art at the Rembrandt House Museum explores what “home” means through the work of thirteen contemporary artists. The exhibition considers home as a physical space, a memory, an extension of identity, or a lost place, featuring artists such as Sadik Kwaish Alfraji, Arash Fakhim, Pris Roos, and Maria Roosen. Rembrandt’s own house provides the historical context for this exploration. Visitors can also watch Pris Roos at work live in the museum as she builds a new “home” out of cardboard. 📍 Location: Jodenbreestraat 4, 1011 NK Amsterdam 📆 Dates: September 26, 2025, through January 4, 2026

The beloved Klimt exhibition returns to Amsterdam. Step into an immersive 3,800 m² world at the Netherlands’ largest digital art center and experience “The Kiss”