As Rotterdam transforms itself into a new hub for European culture, the world is taking notice. The National Museum of Photography is an important part of this story. Here’s what the international press says:

The New York Times
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“The city, home to Europe’s largest port, recently announced plans to transform itself over the next decade into a world-class cultural center. The renaissance is already well underway in the waterfront Katendrecht neighborhood, where the National Museum of Photography will relocate during the second half of the year, and the new 65,000-square foot Fenix Museum, devoted to global stories of migration and rebirth through art, will open in May in a 1923 warehouse.”

Lonely Planet
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National Museum of Photography, Rotterdam, Netherlands
“One of the largest museum collections of photography in the world – with some 6.5 million images – will move into its new home in the second half of 2025. The institution will occupy a historic warehouse in the dock area of Rotterdam, with new gallery spaces, a rooftop restaurant, spaces for public programs and – most excitingly – glass walls that will give the public a view into the museum team’s behind-the-scenes conservation and restoration work. Anyone interested in Dutch culture – or anyone who just loves compelling images – should add a stop here to their next Netherlands itinerary.”

JULIET – Art magazine
Rotterdam radically renews Itself

“The Nederlands Fotomuseum, with its move to the former Santos warehouse, intends to become an international photography platform, and the space available certainly makes the difference and acts as a fundamental starting block, then, as is obvious to think, everything will depend on the contents that will be put inside, that is, on the activity that will animate it as well as on the documents that are kept there. In any case, the facades with daylight and non-invasive light make Santos ideal for exhibiting a rotating collection of over six million light-sensitive photographic documents. The next few months will be used to definitively adapt the building to the needs of the Museum. This also means organizing a new warehouse for the permanent collection: from the first daguerreotypes to the 175 precious archives of the director Ed van der Elsken (1925 – 1990), considered one of the fathers of so-called street photography. Among the documents kept there is no lack of works by contemporary photographers such as Erwin Olaf (1959 – 2023) and Dana Lixenberg (born 1964).”

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