In the middle of Rotterdam’s Museumpark, you can visit Chabot Museum Rotterdam to see interesting exhibitions (expressionism) and explore the beautiful villa surrounded by green in the center of Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
The villa
The villa, now a listed monument, was built in 1938 in the same modernist style as other houses in the street, one of them being the Sonneveld House. The architect, G.W. Baas, worked many years for the architects that designed the Sonneveld House, Van Nelle Factories and Feyenoord Stadium and it clearly shows. When you visit Chabot Museum Rotterdam, pay special attention to the light and airy spaces, the openness of the garden and the view it offers of the other buildings in the Museumpark.
Art style
The Chabot Museum Rotterdam focuses on expressionism and has a collection of works by the Dutch expressionist Henk Chabot, featuring painted landscapes, raging seas and other scenes showing the forces of nature.
Current exhibition: Armando’s Darlings
From September 19, 2019, until March 1, 2020, you can see ‘Armando’s Darlings’, an exhibition with drawings from the private collection of Armando (1929 – 2018). The 400 works from contemporary artists, of which 140 from the Netherlands and Germany, have been donated to the Chabot Museum Rotterdam in 2014. Besides the drawings you can also see ethnographic sculptures that were set up in his apartment to banish evil spirits even though, quoting Armando, ‘it doesn’t work’.
Armando was one of the Netherlands‘ most famous postwar artists. His view of the world depicts universal themes such as destruction, war, and peace, but also the beauty of evil and man‘s relationship with his (violent) fellow man with intensity. He was a writer, a poet, a dramatist, a violinist and a visual artist with an impressive oeuvre expressing his experience from living near Kamp Amersfoort during the Second World War.
Armando appreciated drawings on paper a lot: “A good drawing. That is what I call beauty”. He was a vivid collector of art, often donating work to Chabot Museum Rotterdam, and enjoyed visiting the museum.
I really liked the drawings in the collection as many of them were abstract and absurd at the same time. They show a different perspective of situations and of the human body and invite you to come up with your own explanation. You often find yourself standing in front of a drawing and wondering what you’re seeing and why the scene is worthy of drawing. I am now a fan of Lucebert (1924 – 1994), who is actually best known for being a poet in the Netherlands. All in all, a very diverse collection that is worth visiting.
Van Nelle Factory
In the basement of Chabot Museum Rotterdam you can watch a film about the building of the Van Nelle Factory that has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014. For me this short film (I watched about half of the twenty minutes) was very interesting because it is right next to the train station and highway and I see it very often.
The factory is a well-known event location and also houses startups and a restaurant. I’m reading mixed reviews of people visiting the actual site for sightseeing purposes unfortunately. It sounds like you can only visit and take pictures if you have a reservation for the restaurant (with mixed reviews as well).
You can however join one of the tours to the Van Nelle Factory that Chabot Museum Rotterdam organises on Saturdays and Sundays.
How to get to Chabot Museum Rotterdam
Chabot Museum Rotterdam is in the middle of Rotterdam’s Museumpark: an area that also houses Boijmans van Beuningen Museum, Sonneveld House and Het Nieuwe Instituut. The museum is only a 15 minutes walk from Rotterdam Central Station. If you’re coming by tram or subway you should get off at the stop Eendrachtsplein and walk about 5 minutes to Museumpark 11, Rotterdam.
Opening hours:
- Tuesday – Friday 11:00 – 16:30
- Saturday 11:00 – 17:00
- Sunday 12:00 – 17:00
The museum is closed on Mondays and holidays (Dec 25, 26, 31 and Jan 1 among them).
Tickets:
Tickets are 8 euros for adults and free for kids. Entrance is also free with a Rotterdampas or Museumkaart (for those spending more time in the Netherlands). You get a discount of 30% with a Rotterdam Welcome Card.
Other interesting museums nearby
- Enjoy a thought-provoking experience at Het Nieuwe Instituut Rotterdam
- Explore questions involving society at TENT Rotterdam
- Sonneveld House
 and explore the beautiful villa surrounded by green in the center of Rotterdam, the Netherlands.){kind=link}
Thank you
Irvin
Helo
Do you have a painting by Chabot in your gallery which is called ‘Peasant in a cap’?
Best wishes
Irvin Wolters
Hi Irvin,
I don’t know if the Chabot Museum has access to that painting. Furthermore, some of the Chabot paintings on display are actually borrowed from the collection of Museum Boijmans van Beuningen. You could send the museum an email to ask directly; I am merely an interested visitor.
Kind regards,
Kim