This is the second of the triumvirate of great art museums in Amsterdam, along with the Van Gogh and the Rijksmuseum. Devotees of contemporary art will instantly fall in love with this place, and one hopes that all visitors will be instant converts to its delights. The stark original 1895 building by A.W. Weissman has been renovated and a curious bath-like extension has been appended to its flank, which now houses temporary exhibitions and the new foyer and ticket office.

The Stedelijk's interior is bright and white, all the better to show off its stellar collections of works by the most famous names of the 19th to 21st centuries. Things get off to an excellent start with the sparkly mural by CoBrA artist Karel Appel in the first gallery, and the roster of great names exhibited here includes Mondriaan, Chagall, Van Gogh, Spencer, Matta, Newman, Pollock, and Pop Artists Warhol and Liechtenstein. The museum’s design collection is less successful as the layout is cramped, but there are many stand-out pieces here, including De Stijl designer Gerrit Rietveld's famous painted chair and Jeff Koons’ kitsch “Ushering in Banality” (1988).