Page 83 - Off The Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 2 of 2)

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FORGET THE VAN ART AND CULTURE
GOGH MUSEUM?

THE BUILD-UP The Van Gogh Museum boasts
the largest collection of the artist’s work in the
world and offers visitors the chance to compare
his style to that of other 19th-century artists,
including Toulouse-Lautrec, Gauguin, and
Seurat. It is conveniently located close to the
Rijksmuseum on Museumplein (Museum
Square) in Amsterdam, which has an extensive
collection of the work of other Dutch masters.

ABOVE Detail of the sky in Van Gogh’s Country Road in Provence by Night, THE LETDOWN The temptation to view so
Kröller-Müller Museum many great works of art all together can be
irresistible. But how much can the brain absorb
at one viewing, especially when you’re vying for
Kröller- that a museum be built to house them. Her wish was viewing space with so many visitors? Nearly
2 million people visit the museum every year.
granted, and in 1938 the Kröller-Müller Museum
Müller opened on the family estate at Hoge Veluwe. GOING ANYWAY? Amsterdam is undoubtedly
Helene’s favorite artist was Van Gogh, who
one of the most popular and interesting cities
vs the Van Gogh she believed “created modern Expressionism.” She in Europe, and its museums are renowned the
purchased 91 of his paintings and 175 drawings, and,
world over. The Van Gogh Museum has a very
good English-language website that is essential
while this is less than half the number owned by the
Museum Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, it represents a reading if you wish to make the most of your
visit. It is better to visit off-season and at either
more digestible helping for one visit. Look out for
the arresting Self Portrait of 1887, in which the end of the day (particularly at opening time)
For the best of Van Gogh, leave the city artist’s face emerges from a thunderous, swirling to avoid the worst of the crowds.
behind and head into the Dutch countryside background and seems to stare right at you, and
Four Cut Sunflowers, with its fiery yellow petals that
appear to flicker on the canvas. The paint has been
NEED TO KNOW
applied so thickly in The Sower (1888) and Country
LOCATION The Kröller-Müller Road in Provence by Night (1890) that the works
Museum is 50 miles (80 km) /PSUI
4FB
southeast of Amsterdam in (SPOJOHFO have a shimmering quality, the energy from the
the center of Hoge Veluwe bright stars and the sun somehow radiating far
National Park /&5)&3-"/%4
"NTUFSEBN beyond the edges of the canvases. The famous piece
VISITORS PER YEAR ,3½--&3
.Ã--&3
Around 260,000 5IF )BHVF Café Terrace at Night (1888) is also on display. Some
.64&6.
DAYTIME critics believe this is part of a trilogy that includes
(&3. "/:
TEMPERATURES Starry Night (1889) and Starry Night Over the Rhone ABOVE Visitors at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
Jan: 39°F (4°C); Apr: 55°F (12°C); &JOEIPWFO
Jul: 72°F (22°C); Oct: 57°F (13°C) #&-(*6. (1888), both of which are exhibited elsewhere.
The Kröller-Müller collection also has a major
collection of 19th- and 20th-century French
Art-lovers anxious to get their fix of Van Gogh paintings and a sculpture garden with distinctive
should bypass the popular Van Gogh Museum works by Auguste Rodin and Henry Moore. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
in Amsterdam, with its overcrowded rooms and
long lines, and head instead to the fascinating Getting There and Around Where to Stay
Schiphol Airport, located on the Try the small and friendly Hotel
Kröller-Müller Museum, located in the heart of Hoge
outskirts of Amsterdam, is 60 Multatuli (www.multatulihotel.
Veluwe National Park in the eastern Netherlands. miles (95 km) from the Kröller- nl), located in the center of
Here you’ll find an extensive collection of the great Müller Museum. You can travel to Amsterdam and named after a
man’s work in an idyllic rural setting of woodland, the museum by car, train, or bus. 19th-century Dutch writer.
heathland, grassy plains, and sand drifts. Where to Eat When to Go
The driest, warmest months are
This fine, isolated museum is named after Helene Amsterdam boasts a good variety
of places to eat, from basic cafés from April to September.
Kröller-Müller, a 20th-century art enthusiast who
to sophisticated restaurants. For Budget per Day for Two
built up a large collection of works, including many a unique dining experience try US$300 including
Van Gogh paintings, with the support of her wealthy De Kas Restaurant (www. accommodations, food,
industrialist husband. But when his business was hit restaurantdekas.nl), with its glass transportation, and entrance
hard during the Great Depression, Helene feared for conservatory. At the museum, to the museum.
there’s a very good self-service Website
the future of her collection, and in 1935 she gave all
café called Monsieur Jacques. www.kmm.nl
11,500 pieces to the Dutch state on the condition ABOVE Van Gogh’s vivid work The Sower, Kröller-Müller Museum

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