Donation enables Rijksmuseum to open new sculpture garden with no entry fee
Thanks to an “exceptional donation” from the Don Quixote Foundation, the Rijksmuseum will soon be able to open a “public sculpture garden of international stature” in Amsterdam, the museum announced on Tuesday. The foundation donated €60 million for the development of the new site and will provide a large number of sculptures on long-term loan to the museum.
“This is a donation of historic significance, and a historic moment for the Rijksmuseum,” museum director Taco Dibbits said. The garden will feature sculptures by world-renowned artists like Alberto Giacometti, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Jean Arp, Roni Horn, and Henry Moore.
“It will give modern sculpture the visibility it deserves. It also marks an unprecedented enhancement of the Rijksmuseum’s collection of 20th-century art,” Dibbits said.
The sculpture garden will be located at the intersection of Boerenwetering, Ruysdaelkade, and Stadhouderskade. “Three existing pavilions and their adjoining gardens will be merged with Carel Willinkplantsoen to form a single sculpture garden,” the museum said. “In addition to the outstanding sculptures, more space will be made for trees and plants. Twenty-two new mature trees and a wider variety of native flowers and plants will contribute to increased biodiversity in the city.”
The garden will be open to visitors free of charge during the day. Exact opening hours will still be determined. The Rijksmuseum hopes to open the garden in the autumn of 2026.
“This is a wonderful gift for everyone in Amsterdam,” Mayor Femke Halsema said. “Local residents, city dwellers, and art lovers will soon be enjoying the tranquil natural surroundings and artistic beauty.”
The Don Quixote Foundation is the Rijksmuseum’s largest private benefactor. According to the museum, the foundation has supported the annual sculpture exhibit in the Rijksmuseum Gardens since the museum’s reopening in 2013. Thanks to the foundation’s support, this exhibit has always had free admission.
