We are all about to dive deep into everything about art in Rotterdam and our opening section will fully cover the best art galleries and museums near you.
Up next we will discuss a variety of other topics like local art supply stores, events, festivals, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures and statues, art classes, studios for rent, and the top frame shops in your area.
Contents
If you are searching for any specific section you can jump straight to it by using the table of contents on the left and we will also be sharing a Rotterdam art map with all of the various venues we mention throughout the post pinned on it.
Europe has been discussed on our site many times in the past.
Best Art Galleries & Museums In Rotterdam
The best art galleries and museums in Rotterdam would be:
- Kunsthal Rotterdam at Westzeedijk 341
- Kunstinstituut Melly at Witte De Withstraat 50
- Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen at Museumpark 18
- Tent Rotterdam at Witte De Withstraat 50
- Cokkie Snoei at Mauritsweg 55
- Phoebus Rotterdam at Eendrachtsweg 61
- Rotterdam Streetart Museum at West Kruiskade
- Galerie Frank Taal at Van Speykstraat 129
- Cinnnamon Gallery at Keileweg 14a
- Het Nieuwe Instituut at Museumpark 25
- Wilfried Lentz Rotterdam at Keileweg 14a
One of the leading cultural institutions in the Netherlands has to be The Kunsthal Rotterdam where you can find great exhibitions of fine art, photography, and other cultural and historical themes from past eras. They work in tandem with the great local artists at the Willem de Kooning Academy to share on-site masterclasses and have a variety of available family programs. Visit The Kunsthal from 10am to 5pm every day except for Monday when they are closed.
Some of you may know the Kunstinstituut Melly by its former name Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art. In addition to organizing exhibitions they also offer commission art and do good work in the field of developing educational initiatives. Kunstinstituut Melly opens at 11am Wednesday through Sunday and is closed the rest of the week.
Every year over 300,000 people go to the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen which is open from 11am to 5pm every day but Monday when they are closed to see their massive collection of more than 150,000 modern and contemporary artworks in your area. They lend out hundreds of pieces to other museums around the world each year and they have a great program for kids called Boijmans in the Classroom.
At Phoebus Gallery they have around 12 solo and group exhibitions throughout the year. They are also regularly having lectures, discussions, and excursions in addition to publishing books and keep regular hours of from 12:30pm to 5:30pm Thursday through Sunday.
The Rotterdam Street Art Museum kind of blew up after being listed in Lonely Planet and now it is finally getting the recognition and visitors that it deserves.
Many would tell you that Het Nieuwe Instituut is the home of Dutch architecture, design and digital culture. They are open from 10am to 5pm most days but are closed on Monday and stay open until 9pm on Thursday and two of the best times to visit might be for their weekly Thursday Night Live program or for the Sunday Stroll that starts at 2pm.
Materials & Supplies Near You
These art stores in your area should have all of the materials and supplies you need:
- Van Beek Art Supplies at Hoogstraat 58-64
- Pipoos at Binnenwegplein 6 C
- Gerstaecker at Burgemeester Van Walsumweg 730
- Rembrandt Kantoorvakhandel at Oudedijk 168
You can buy all kinds of art supplies like easels, brushes, canvases, acrylic paints, drawing materials, frames, and more at Van Beek Art Supplies.
For over 25 years Pipoos has been one of the leading arts, crafts, and hobby stores in the Netherlands and Belgium. They sell more than 8,000 materials and supplies plus students get a discount.
At Gerstaecker they have over 65,000 items and 3,000 different frame profiles for sale.
Shows & Events
Some of the best art shows and events held in this city are:
- Festival Magia in August
- Kunstavond Witte de Withstraat held Every Friday
- Thursday Night Live held Weekly
- Rotterdam Street Culture Weekend in September
- Art Rotterdam in February
Each August head to the area around the Witte de Withstraat for the Festival Magia. Over 2 days this free festival will be loaded with international music, performances, DJ’s, film screening, and there will be plenty of art near you as well.
Kunstavond Witte de Withstraat takes place every Friday from 6pm to 9pm and this is another great free event to check out as many if not all of the museums and galleries in the city’s art quarter will stay open late each Friday.
Anyone that is interested in design, architecture, and digital culture should head to Thursday Night Live at Het Nieuwe Instituut which is held every week as discussions, lectures, free museum openings, expos, and more will be taking place from 5pm to 10pm.
Over 30,000 visitors flock to Rotterdam Street Culture Weekend every September to see street art, street sports, hip-hop music, and fun activities.
Van Nelle Fabriek is the home of Art Rotterdam which is one of the biggest art fairs in the Netherlands. This annual 3 day event brings out local, regional, and international talents in numerous varieties of visual arts and the NN Art Award will be presented.
Art Dealers & Appraisers
When you are trying to find a new piece for your collection or to figure out the true value of something visit one of these art dealers and appraisers in your area:
- Roxier Art at Evastraat 27
- Cobra Art Company at Witte de Withstraat 21A
Individuals and corporations are more than welcome to buy from Roxier Art. Many of their available works were made right there in the studio and they have some pieces created by Ronald Hunter for sale. You will find different styles like abstract, graphic, figurative, and pop art plus they sell photography and can deliver paintings or photos of all sizes.
One of the biggest international art wholesalers and distributors of plexiglass photography, paintings, masterpieces, objects, and sculptures is the Cobra Art Company who accepts artwork submissions from new photographers or artists while also working in close collaboration with international artists and photographers.
Galerie Frank Taal from our main list also sells art in Rotterdam.
Walking Tours
Local art walking tours can be a lot of fun when the weather is nice:
- Rotterdam Street Art Route at Stationsplein 1
- Art Index Rotterdam at Ruivenstraat 39
- Walk Rotterdam at Loods Holland 20
The Rotterdam Street Art Route spans 7 kilometers so there will be plenty of cool stuff for you to see and they are always adding more. Of course there is still all of the old graffiti and street art around too.
There is a great collection of public works in this town and the Art Index Tours can curate personalized bike or walking tours that hit up some of the unique places here.
Walk Rotterdam is less art focused but you will still see plenty of neat things on your stroll.
Sculptures & Statues
You may also want to take some photos of these statues and sculptures:
- Monument Voor Alle Gevallenen 1940–1945 at Stadhuisplein 16
- Erasmus at Grotekerkplein 5
- Marathonbeeld at Willemsplein 90
- Fikkie at Oude Binnenweg 120
- Sylvette at Westersingel 83
- L’homme qui Marche at Westersingel 45-46
- De Roeiers at 1e Katendrechtse Hoofd
Mari Andriessen was the creator of the Monument Voor Alle Gevallenen that was unveiled in 1957.
Many believe that The statue of Erasmus is the oldest statue in the Netherlands as Hendrick de Keyser designed it, it was inaugurated in 1622, and today it can be found at Grotekerkplein.
Henk Vish was the creator of the Marathonbeeld statue which was a gift from the Rotterdam Marathon Foundation.
Joeki Simak was the mastermind behind Fikkie back in 1963 which you can find in the Oude Binnenweg.
Carl Nesjar teamed up with Pablo Picasso to sculpt Sylvette which was dedicated in 1970 and sits next to the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.
L’homme qui Marche, AKA The Man Who Walks, was dedicated in the early 1900’s and this great piece by Auguste Rodin can be found along the Westersingel.
Yair Aschkenasy was the brainchild of the De Roeiers scuplture.
Rotterdam Art Classes
We are all at different levels and sometimes a lesson or two can give us the boost that we need. Some of the best Rotterdam art schools and classes can be found at:
- Willem de Kooning Academie at Blaak 10
- De Kleimeester at Gouwstraat 59 B
- SKVR at Hennekijnstraat 6
- Piet Zwart Institute at Karel Doormanhof 45
- Creatief van Huis Uit at Vredehofstraat 78
- Solko Schalm at Hoogstraat 43A
The instructors at De Kleimeester specialize in pottery, clay, and ceramic works. They have day and night classes for adults, host company outings, kids parties, and also can do guest teaching work around the area.
At SKVR Visual Art they have all kinds of classes, courses, and workshops in a variety of medias including lessons in everything from visual art to music, dance, theater, fashion design, photography, writing, and more with short courses, year long courses, and trial lessons available.
The Piet Zwart Institute is part of the Willem de Kooning Academy that has over two thousand students making it one of the largest academies in the Netherlands.
Children ages 5 and older can take classes at Creatief van Huis Uit in drawing, visual education, and even puppet theater. They have trial lessons available and many of their courses are based around school vacation times.
Studios For Rent Near You
Those of you who are ready to start a big project can find local art studios like:
- Het Wilde Weten at Robert Fruinstraat 35
- Dansateliers at ‘s-Gravendijkwal 58-B
- Kaus Australis at Melanchtonweg 137
Kunsthal Rotterdam and Het Nieuwe Instituut from our initial best galleries in your area list also have studios for rent.
Framing
A frame can take a normal looking picture a long way, and some of the best places for art framing in Rotterdam are:
- Art3000 Lijstenmakerij at Nieuwe Binnenweg 355c
- Lijstenmakerij LeBouclier at Kleiweg 201
- Artigrafie at Lebanonweg 128
- Lijstenmakerij Linea at Vlietlaan 40B
- Artigrafie Kunst & Lijstenmakerij at Libanonweg 128
At Art3000 Lijstenmakerij some of their services include custom framing, installations, hanging paintings, miter services, restorations, cleanings, and printing in addition to renting out art and selling ready made frames.
Since 1984 Artigrafie has been making professional frames and providing frame restoration services near you offering a complete range of hanging systems and photo services for any size and material.
You can get expert advice from Lijstenmakerij Linea on custom framing, preserving glass, preserving artworks, passe-partout, plus they sell framed pictures too.
Van Beek Art Supplies and Gerstaecker from our supplies list also offer framing services.
By the you can also read our posts on:
Have Fun Enjoying The Rotterdam Art Scene
Well, we tried to cover the full art scene near you to the best of our abilities. We listed the best galleries, museums, events, shows, supply stores, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures, classes, studios, and framers in your area.
If you made it this far you might just know quite a bit about the local art scene yourself. Feel free to share your own tips, or to let us know if we may have gotten anything wrong in the comments.
Have fun going to the galleries, museums, buying supplies or doing anything that has to do with art in Rotterdam!
