There are many museums in Amsterdam from Van Gough to Rembrandt to Madame Tussauds.  One of my favorite museums was Rembrandt House, located on Jodenbreestraat.  Not to be mistaken with the Rembrandt Art Museum (Rijksmuseum on Museumplein), this is the actual house that Rembrandt owned.  It’s an easy tram ride to the Stradhuis stop.  The size is equivalent to a row home and the floors are accessible by narrow, winding staircases.  A demonstration of Rembrandt’s etching and printing techniques was very enjoyable and enlightening.  The artist was a visionary, combining techniques, as no one else had, to get his desired effect for the printing.  He prepared and printed his own etching, unlike other artists of his time.

A must see while in Amsterdam is Anne Frank House, even if you have not read her diary.  The rooms are empty, per her father’s request, but you can still get an understanding of the cramped quarters they were hiding in.  The tree that Anne writes about, that gave her hope, finally fell in late summer this year.  They worked hard over the years to preserve it, but will now plant a new tree in her honor.

I was honored to have a local artist, Maurice Van Tilburg, open up his gallery for a private tour.  His gallery, Atelier Open, is located on Keizersgracht 429, and is normally open on Friday and Saturdays or by appointment.  He does shows for new artists of all disciplines, getting the word out about them as well as giving them credibility to get shown in bigger galleries.  He is also an amazing artist.  His work is diverse as he uses many disciplines, evokes emotion and has great depth to them.  He does not overly explain his pieces, allowing the viewer to express their own ideas of what the meaning behind the art is.  When in Amsterdam, I would say this is also a must see! http://www.atelieropen.nl/pages/atelieropen.html