Date of Issue: 21 November 2024

The National Museum of Photography – the nation’s centre for the display, conservation, collection and study of photography in the Netherlands – will move to a newly renovated warehouse in the heart of Rotterdam’s historic dock area. The building will provide a new state-of-the-art home for the national collection of over 6.5 million photographic images, one of the largest museum collections of photography in the world.  

Opening in the second half of 2025, the monumental eight-storey building will include extensive exhibition spaces, a photography bookshop and library, an education centre, community spaces, a museum café, a darkroom for professional photographers and amateurs alike, and a rooftop restaurant with panoramic views of the Rotterdam skyline.   

At the core of the building, a suite of new climate-controlled facilities will house the Museum’s collection and conservation centre. Glass walls will allow visitors to observe the collection and atelier spaces, with specialists working behind the scenes in areas such as restoration and conservation.  

The acquisition of the new building fulfils the National Museum of Photography’s longstanding commitment to developing an accessible and dynamic meeting place and an international platform for Dutch photography.  

Birgit Donker, Director of the National Museum of Photography, said: 

"It is fantastic that we are in a position to realise our dream. A building of our own - a fully renovated historic building - where we can generously welcome visitors, with a central highlight on our invaluable collections and space for sharing visual stories and connecting people. This will be the place where photography is celebrated to the full, from amateur photos to art photography and all that comes with it." 

The National Museum of Photography is a global leader in photographic collection management and the protection of photographic archives. The work of the Museum, including its exhibitions and public programme, centres around its collection. 

The collection presents an ever-growing record of Dutch photographic history, from the earliest daguerreotype dated 1842 to prints by some of the most exciting contemporary photographers working today, such as Dana Lixenberg, Erwin Olaf and Jaya Pelupessy. It includes one or more works by over 1,900 photographers. Setting the collection apart are more than 175 whole photography archives by renowned Dutch photographers such as Ed van der Elsken, Augusta Curiel, Cas Oorthuys and Esther Kroon, including a vast quantity of negatives and slides. 

The new home for the National Museum of Photography, known as the Santos warehouse, is a Grade A listed building in the Rijnhaven harbour, situated on the border of the revitalised Katendrecht neighbourhood and the diverse Afrikaanderwijk. It is one of the best-preserved warehouses in the Netherlands. 

Designed by architects J.P. Stok Wzn and J.J. Kanters, the building opened in 1903 as a warehouse for Brazilian coffee. In 2021, the German design department store group stilwerk restored and transformed the historic building. The renovation was designed by architects Renner Hainke Wirth Zirn Architekten, Hamburg and WDJARCHITECTEN, Rotterdam, and carried out by Leiden-based contractor Burgy.    

The acquisition of the new building for the National Museum of Photography has been made possible by a donation from the Droom en Daad Foundation, founded in 2016 and led by Wim Pijbes, former Director of the Rijksmuseum. The Droom en Daad Foundation is helping redefine Rotterdam for the 21st century - developing new kinds of arts and culture institutions and fostering new creative talent that reflects the city’s diversity, its spirit and its history.   

The Museum was founded as the Nederlands Fotomuseum in 2003 following a bequest by Hein Wertheimer, a passionate amateur photographer who left 22 million Guilders (11.2 million Euros) to establish a museum for Dutch photography. The National Museum of Photography is one of 30 national museums in the Netherlands. Other national museums include the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum.   

Media Enquiries: 

Dutch Press:

Heidi Vandamme, National Museum of Photography  

hvandamme@nederlandsfotomuseum.nl | +31 (0)6 295 32 686

International Press:   

Jane Quinn, Bolton & Quinn | jq@boltonquinn.com | +44 20 7221 5000  

Lara Delaney, Bolton & Quinn | lara@boltonquinn.com | +44 20 7221 5000