The Bonnefantenmuseum – New Architecture in the Old World

If you had to go to one place in Europe that gives you a snapshot of the continent, you may want to consider visiting Maastricht, in the very southeast corner of the Netherlands.  Yes, it has its big city shopping, as well as a sense of history:  there are structures that date from the year 1000, and for modern times, it is where the eponymous treaty was signed that moved the Europe towards a common currency.  But with the cobblestones come contemporary Europe as well.  Small town charm pervades the outer neighborhoods, and it’s complete with a large university and the requisite student life.  Set on the Maas River, it offers plenty of both old and new.

One of the city’s highlights is the Bonnefantenmuseum, one of Italian architect Aldo Rossi’s last works.  Opened in 1995, it’s a great play on the senses.  The outside of the building is rather Spartan in appearance.  When approaching it, the curiosity is the cupola, which looks like a retrofitted farm silo when moving towards it by bike or boating down the river.

But once you walk inside the Bonnefantenmuseum, the building comes alive.  Natural light fills the museum’s galleries.  A huge staircase welcomes you to explore.  You feel intrigued by the various galleries; some miniscule, some huge.  Every corner of the museum plays with daylight, and rather than overwhelm you with information about each and every piece, the Bonnefantenmuseum screams minimalism.

The museum also tweaks the traditional notions of what a museum should be.  One of the more interesting collections I have visited at any museum or gallery is the Augenspiel, a floor devoted to highlights from antiquity, Renaissance, early modern, and contemporary art.  The works are not arranged in chronological order, so you may see a diptych from the Old Masters plunked next to a modern painting; it is up to you to decide whether they are indeed grouped by context or if the museum’s curators are just toying with you.

Not to dismiss the greatness of the world’s great museums such as the NY Metropolitan, Louvre, Hermitage, and the British Museum, but the Bonnefantenmuseum is a great example of how to create great exhibition space with minimal impact and less resources.

The Bonnefantenmuseum is in the Céramique district, along the Maas River.  As with most places in Maastricht or the Netherlands, the best way to reach the museum is on your bicycle.  I highly recommend that you continue biking along the Maas—it’s the perfect way to spend a spring day.