Het Rijksmuseum

The Netherlandish Yearbook for History of Art 1984 is devoted to the history of the Rijksmuseum as a national institution. How many times was the museum the focal point of the sometimes heated discussions about cultural preservation, the ideal museum building, the relationship between the government and art, purchasing policy and so on? Addressed in the book are the originally patriotic origins of the Rijksmuseum, the involvement of the government with contemporary art at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the government-sponsored competitions for a new building, and the frequently sharp critique that this generated. With its many contributions, including the moves of Rembrandt's 'Night Watch' and the policy of former director, F. Schmidt-Degener, this is not simply a book about the history of a single museum but also a book about the cultural history of the Netherlands.