Amsterdam’s art scene this season offers a rich mix of exhibitions, from historical explorations to contemporary reflections. Highlights include immersive experiences of 17th-century domestic life, groundbreaking modern sculpture, provocative photography, and thought-provoking installations on home and memory. Whether you’re drawn to iconic masterpieces or innovative new works, there’s something to captivate 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 like Ladies Hats, Chessmen, and Skin Deep, alongside lesser-known works, videos, sculptures, advertising projects, and personal archive material, concluding with his final unfinished video. Celebrating Olaf’s pursuit of personal freedom and activism, the show highlights his engagement with identity, sexuality, gender, and equal rights, tracing his evolution from early black-and-white reportage to meticulously staged studio photography. The exhibition offers a comprehensive journey through his multi-layered, visually striking oeuvre and enduring influence.
📍 Location : Stedelijk Museum, Museumplein 10, 1071 DJ Amsterdam
📆 Dates: October 11 2025, to March 1 2026
Brancusi, The Birth of Modern Sculpture
H’ART Museum presents Brancusi – The Birth of Modern Sculpture, a landmark exhibition featuring over 31 masterpieces by Constantin Brancusi, the father of modern sculpture. On loan from Paris’s Centre Pompidou and never before shown in Amsterdam, the show includes iconic works like Princess X, The Kiss, and the towering Endless Column, alongside original pedestals, photographs, and films. Visitors can explore Brancusi’s quest to capture the essence of humans, animals, and architecture through his sleek, innovative forms. Running from 20 September for four months, this is a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in the artist’s influential universe.
📍 Location: H’ART Museum. Amstel 51, 1018EJ Amsterdam
📆 Dates: September 20 2025 – January 18 2026
At Home in the 17th century
At Home in the 17th Century offers an immersive look into daily life 400 years ago, with nine diorama-style displays filled with personal stories and objects ranging from cobweb brushes to silverware. Visitors encounter a diverse cast of people—from wealthy merchants to everyday families—and explore how their homes and lifestyles reflected society’s contrasts. Highlights include the famous doll’s houses of Petronella Oortman and Petronella Dunois, alongside household items and design marvels like Philip Vingboons’ fireplace. Designed by Steef de Jong and narrated by Helena Bonham Carter, the exhibition brings the 17th century vividly to life, revealing both familiar and surprising aspects of domestic life.
📍 Location: Rijksmuseum, Museumstraat 1, 1071 Amsterdam
📆 Dates: 17 October 2025 to 11 January 2026
Steve McQueen – Occupied City
The Rijksmuseum presents Occupied City, Steve McQueen’s 34-hour video artwork exploring Amsterdam under Nazi occupation during World War II. Projected continuously on the Museumplein façade as a silent cityscape and shown with sound and voiceover inside the museum on select days, the film traces over 2,000 locations, revealing stories of persecution, resistance, and daily life beneath the surface of the city. Based on Bianca Stigter’s Atlas of an Occupied City, the work offers a striking reflection on how the past continues to shape the present. Accessible free on the museum façade or included with museum entry for auditorium screenings, Occupied City combines historical insight with McQueen’s innovative cinematic vision.
📍 Location: Rijksmuseum, Museumstraat 1, 1071 Amsterdam
📆 Dates: September 12 2025 to January 25 2026
THUIS. The Feeling of Home in Contemporary Art
THUIS. 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 examines home as a physical space, a memory, an extension of identity, or a place lost, featuring artists such as Sadik Kwaish Alfraji, Arash Fakhim, Pris Roos, and Maria Roosen. Rembrandt’s own house and prints provide historical context, highlighting how the sense of home has long shaped personal and artistic life. Visitors can also watch Pris Roos building a new cardboard “home” live in the museum, continuing her exploration of personal stories and inviting reflection on what home means today.
📍 Location: Jodenbreestraat 4, 1011 NK Amsterdam, Pays-Bas
📆 Dates: 26 September 2025 to 4 January 2026