Three of the strongest exhibitions in Europe this winter are a few minutes’ walk apart. On Museumplein, the Stedelijk has a Yayoi Kusama retrospective, the Van Gogh Museum has James McNeill Whistler, and the Rijksmuseum has Willem de Kooning. All three close in January, within a week of each other, so this is a winter to see them together.
Yayoi Kusama at the Stedelijk
Kusama died in August 2026, aged 97, a few weeks before this retrospective opened, and the Stedelijk has made it a tribute. It covers more than seven decades, from her early work in Japan in the 1950s and her years in the New York avant-garde to the paintings she made in Tokyo, across painting, sculpture, installation, fashion and happenings. The museum’s own Aggregation: One Thousand Boats Show, from 1963, is here, and so is a new Infinity Mirrored Room. The show was organised with the Fondation Beyeler and the Museum Ludwig and runs until 17 January 2027. Entry is by timed slot, with a surcharge on the museum ticket.
Whistler at the Van Gogh Museum
Whistler. Dandy and Disruptor is the first Dutch retrospective of the American painter, with around 100 works, made with The Mesdag Collection and Tate Britain. It includes Arrangement in Grey and Black, the portrait everyone knows as Whistler’s Mother, and his misty nocturnes of the Thames. The setting makes sense: Van Gogh admired Whistler, and both were fascinated by Japanese prints. Until 10 January 2027.
Willem de Kooning at the Rijksmuseum
A century after he left Rotterdam for America as a stowaway, de Kooning is back in the Netherlands. Willem de Kooning at work brings together about 120 works, most of them drawings, with paintings and sculptures, made with the Art Institute of Chicago and The Willem de Kooning Foundation. It is the largest de Kooning exhibition in Europe since 1984. Two paintings, Woman I and Woman and Bicycle, hang in the Gallery of Honour beside the Dutch masters. Until 17 January 2027.
Plan your visit
Book a timed ticket for each museum in advance. All three in one day is a lot; two mornings is better, with lunch on the square between them. The Rijksmuseum is free for anyone 18 or under, and the Stedelijk is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00.
Stay nearby · 1 of 10 in Amsterdam
Mandarin Oriental Conservatorium
A landmark building in the Museum Quarter.
