Rijksmuseum Research Library
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| Rijksmuseum Research Library | |
|---|---|
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| Name | Rijksmuseum Research Library |
| Established | 1885 |
| Location | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Type | Art history research library |
| Collection size | over 400,000 volumes |
| Director | Wim Pijbes |
Rijksmuseum Research Library is the principal art-historical research library associated with the Rijksmuseum, located in Amsterdam on the Museumplein. It supports scholarship on Dutch Golden Age painting, European decorative arts, Asian art, and printmaking with holdings that complement collections at institutions such as the Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Amsterdam Museum. The library functions as a hub for curators, conservators, students, and international researchers working on subjects ranging from Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer to Chinese porcelain and Islamic manuscripts.
History
The library traces its origins to the 19th century when the Rijksmuseum itself was established under the aegis of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and cultural policy enacted after the Belgian Revolution (1830–1831). Early collections were formed through transfers from royal and municipal collections, acquisitions linked to the exhibitions of the Exposition Universelle (1889), and bequests from collectors associated with institutions such as the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten. Major expansion occurred during the tenure of directors like P.J. Fourment and later during the directorship of Hendrik van de Sande Bakhuyzen, reflecting close relationships with the Staatsbibliotheek, which facilitated large-scale donations and legal deposit exchanges. The library weathered the disruptions of World War II and postwar reconstruction, during which conservators worked with the Rijksmuseum Conservation Department and advisers from the International Council of Museums to catalogue and preserve rare materials.
Collections
Holdings emphasize monographs, auction catalogues, periodicals, and archival materials connected to collections at the Rijksmuseum, including extensive resources on painters like Rembrandt van Rijn, Frans Hals, Jan Steen, Jacob van Ruisdael, Pieter Claesz, Hendrick Avercamp, Gerard ter Borch, and Carel Fabritius. The library's prints and drawings reference repositories such as the Print Room (Rijksmuseum), while books and catalogues document furniture, silver, and ceramics linked to Delftware, Utrecht Caravaggism, and Haarlem painting. Special collections include early modern inventories, dealer correspondence related to houses like Sotheby's and Christie's, and archival dossiers from patrons including Middelaer and Fach. Rare books encompass editions by Oliveira, Teniers, and treatises associated with Gerrit Dou. The periodical collection holds titles such as Oud Holland, Burlington Magazine, and international journals from the Guggenheim Foundation network. Geographic strengths extend to Asian export porcelain, Ottoman textiles linked to the Topkapı Palace Museum studies, and colonial-era documents tied to the Dutch East India Company and the VOC archives.
Services and Access
The library provides reference services for curators from institutions like the Mauritshuis, Frans Hals Museum, and Het Scheepvaartmuseum, as well as specialist support to conservators working with the Netherlands Institute for Conservation + Art History (NICAS). Services include on-site reading rooms, digitisation requests for items in the holdings, interlibrary loan agreements with the Koninklijke Bibliotheek and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and access for postgraduate researchers enrolled at institutions such as the Universiteit van Amsterdam and the Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society. The library implements user registration protocols aligned with privacy standards advocated by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and operates a searchable online catalogue interoperable with the Europeana portal and the Union List of Artist Names.
Research and Publications
Staff librarians collaborate with curators from the Rijksmuseum and external scholars affiliated with the Courtauld Institute of Art, Columbia University, and the Getty Research Institute to produce exhibition catalogues, conservation reports, and bibliographies. Notable projects include research linked to major exhibitions on Rembrandt's Night Watch, thematic studies on Dutch landscape painting, and monographic catalogues raisonnés for artists in the museum collection. The library supports doctoral research deposited at repositories like the Digital Public Library of America and publishes occasional papers, bibliographic guides, and contributions to journals such as Journal of the Historians of Netherlandish Art and Studies in Conservation. Collaborative scholarship has resulted in grant-funded projects with the European Research Council and publications co-published with university presses including Oxford University Press and Brill.
Architecture and Facilities
Housed within the complex that includes historic wings by Pierre Cuypers and remodeled spaces by contemporary architects, the library's reading room features climate-control systems specified by conservation engineers who have worked with the Getty Conservation Institute and HVAC specialists consulted by the Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE). Facilities include climate-stable storage, a digitisation studio equipped for high-resolution capture used in projects with the Rijksmuseum Conservation Studio, and a conservation lab for paper and binding treatments administered by technicians trained at the Centrum voor Kunst en Cultuurtechniek. Public amenities link to the Rijksmuseum Research Centre and are proximate to transport nodes such as Amsterdam Centraal station and cultural nodes on the Museumstraat.
Partnerships and Projects
The library participates in national and international partnerships with the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD)],] the Stichting Het Rijksmuseum, and networks including the Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL). Projects have included digitisation collaborations with Europeana Newspapers, cataloguing initiatives tied to the Getty Provenance Index, and provenance research consortia that coordinate with the Commission for Looted Art in Europe and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Educational outreach involves joint programming with the University of Amsterdam's Special Collections, curatorial internships through the Rijksmuseum Academy, and collaborative exhibitions with the Hermitage Amsterdam and the National Gallery, London.