Displaying items by tag: wim pijbes

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam acquired a 17th-century sculpture by Adriaen de Vries at Christie's New York last week for a record $27.9 million against an estimate of $15—25 million. The recently rediscovered bronze—a Bacchic figure supporting a globe—is said to be one of the artist's best works and represents one of the first De Vries statue in a Dutch art collection, according to a statement from the museum.

Adriean de Vries “is the Dutch Michelangelo and his works are equally rare," said Rijksmuseum general director Wim Pijbes. “Therefore it is absolutely great that we have been able to buy this fabulous sculpture for the Netherlands."

While in Amsterdam for the Nuclear Security Summit, President Obama visited the city’s celebrated Rijksmuseum, the first ever visit by a serving U.S. President to the museum. The Rijksmuseum’s General Director, Wim Pijbes, gave the President a tour in the Gallery of Honour, where masterpieces by Frans Hals, Jan Steen, and Johannes Vermeer are exhibited. The Gallery of Honour leads to a designated area where Rembrandt’s greatest masterpiece, “The Night Watch,” is displayed.

The Rijksmuseum re-opened to the public in April 2013, following a ten-year renovation. The project, which cost around $841 million, included restoring all eighty of the museum’s galleries with their original decorations and paintings and outfitting them with the most up-to-date technologies. Since its re-opening, nearly 3 million patrons have visited the museum, making it one of the most successful transformations of a museum in history.

Other notable figures who have visited the Rijksmuseum include Theodore Roosevelt, Lady Bird Johnson, and Hillary Clinton. 

A commissioned study showed that the annual economic impact of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, which recently underwent an extensive renovation, has increased to €235 million since reopening. 80% of the reported increase is a result of the spike in visitor expenditure. In addition to boosting the city’s economy, the Rijksmuseum has created approximately 1,000 jobs since the renovation.

Wim Pijbes, Director of the Rijksmuseum, said, “It is clear that the investment in the new Rijksmuseum has had major consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the building itself. These results prove that the age-old wisdom of John Paul Getty still rings true: fine art is the finest investment.”

The Rijksmuseum, which was founded in 1798, is the national museum of the Netherlands. It reopened to the public after a 10 year, €375 million renovation on April 13,2013. The Rijksmuseum welcomed its millionth visitor on August 23, 2013.