An exceptional donation from the Don Quixote Foundation will enable Rijksmuseum to enrich Amsterdam with a public sculpture garden of international stature. In a large green space with three pavilions, visitors will enjoy sculptures by world-renowned artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Jean Arp, Roni Horn and Henry Moore. The garden will be located in Carel Willinkplantsoen, just across Boerenwetering canal from Rijksmuseum, and will be open to the public for free during the day. The new garden will also host temporary sculpture exhibitions.

The Don Quixote Foundation is also giving a large number of sculptures on long-term loan to Rijksmuseum. The museum’s new exhibition space will be known as the Don Quixote Pavilion and Garden at the Rijksmuseum.

“This is a wonderful gift for everyone in Amsterdam,” said Femke Halsema, mayor, Amsterdam. “Local residents, city dwellers and art lovers will soon be enjoying the tranquil natural surroundings and artistic beauty.”

© Foster + Partners

The sculpture garden will be situated just a stone’s throw from Rijksmuseum, at the intersection of Boerenwetering, Ruysdaelkade and Stadhouderskade. Three existing pavilions and their adjoining gardens will be merged with Carel Willinkplantsoen to form a single sculpture garden. The pavilions, built in the Amsterdam School style, will be open to the public for the first time. These buildings will be transformed into sculpture exhibition spaces designed by London firm Foster + Partners. Belgian landscape architect Piet Blanckaert will design the garden.

In addition to outstanding sculptures, more space will be made for trees and plants. Twenty-two new mature trees and a wider variety of native flowers and plants will contribute to increased biodiversity in the city.

The main entrance to the sculpture garden will be located on Stadhouderskade. Exact opening hours will be determined in consultation with the municipality and local residents.

“This is a donation of historic significance, and a historic moment for the Rijksmuseum,” said Taco Dibbits, general director, Rijksmuseum. “It will give modern sculpture the visibility it deserves. It also marks an unprecedented enhancement of the Rijksmuseum’s collection of 20th-century art.”

© Foster + Partners

The Don Quixote Foundation is Rijksmuseum’s largest private benefactor. It has supported the annual sculpture exhibition in Rijksmuseum Gardens since the museum reopened in 2013, ensuring admission to the exhibitions remains free.

Thanks to an additional donation of about $15 million in 2023, the foundation has made it possible to continue staging exhibitions in the Rijksmuseum Gardens. In 2017, the foundation gave the unique flora and fauna albums of Anselmus de Boodt, containing more than 700 16th-century watercolors and drawings on long-term loan to the museum.