H’Art museum kicked off the celebration for Amsterdam’s 750th birthday with a special exhibition: Happy Birthday Amsterdam. The museum pays homage to the city through a kaleidoscope of art from various time periods, where 75 artists who have represented Amsterdam in their work come together, with no obvious connection except their love for the city. Some of these artists spent their entire life working in the city, others were here just in passing. However, they brought their contributions to immortalising the life, the spirit of the city in various art formats.

Happy Birthday Amsterdam is not your typical exhibition; the museum chose a non-chronological approach to organising this show. The aim was to create a colourful retrospective, one that represents the spirit of the city. There are three chapters: Amsterdam’s cityscapes, city life and heritage. Among the names present here, you’ll find Jacob Olie, Johan Cruijff, Marlene Dumas and Erwin Olaf. Also, Gershwin Bonevacia (1992), former Amsterdam City Poet, wrote three poems especially for Happy Birthday Amsterdam, and you’ll have the chance to listen to them when visiting the exhibition.

The exhibit is a collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE), featuring over 50 Amsterdam loans from the RCE collection.

I think that Happy Birthday Amsterdam is a beautiful celebration of the city, taking you through so many aspects of Amsterdam’s life. It’s indeed colourful, surprising and emotional. Totally recommend it!

When: until 16 March 2025 at the H’Art Museum.

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