Amajor donation from the Don Quixote Foundation will enable the Rijksmuseum to open a new public garden in Amsterdam dedicated to international sculpture. A green space with three pavilions, where the public will be able to admire works by world-renowned artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Jean Arp, Roni Horn, and Henry Moore, alongside temporary exhibitions devoted to sculpture. To support its realization, the Don Quixote Foundation, the Rijksmuseum’s largest private benefactor, has pledged a grant of 60 million euros and will also grant the museum a substantial core of works on long-term loan. The new space will be named the Rijksmuseum’s Don Quixote Pavilion and Garden.
The sculpture garden will be located in the immediate vicinity of the Rijksmuseum, at the intersection of Boerenwetering, Ruysdaelkade, and Stadhouderskade. Three existing pavilions, together with their surrounding gardens, will be integrated with the Carel Willinkplantsoen to create one large park dedicated to art. The buildings, built in the style of the Amsterdam School, will be accessible to the public for the first time and converted into exhibition spaces for sculpture designed by London-based Foster + Partners. The garden design, on the other hand, will be entrusted to Belgian landscape architect Piet Blanckaert.
Alongside the sculptures, the project will pay special attention to greenery and environmental sustainability. New plantings with twenty-two mature trees and a wide selection of flowers and native plant species are planned, with the aim of increasing urban biodiversity and improving the quality of public space.
The main entrance to the sculpture garden will be located along Stadhouderskade and access will be free during daylight hours. Final opening hours will be agreed with the municipality and local residents. The permit application has already been submitted, and the new garden is scheduled to open in the fall of 2026.
“This is a historically important donation and a historic moment for the Rijksmuseum,” commented museum director general Taco Dibbits. “It will give modern sculpture the visibility it deserves. It also marks an unprecedented enrichment of the Rijksmuseum’s collection of 20th-century art.”
“This is a wonderful gift for all Amsterdam residents. Residents, citizens and art lovers will soon be able to enjoy the tranquility of nature and artistic beauty,” said Femke Halsema, mayor of Amsterdam.
Pictured is a rendering of the sculpture garden. Photo: Foster + Partners
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| Rijksmuseum to open new public garden dedicated to international sculpture thanks to major donation |
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