A collage with three images: a man with a bandana and a cross necklace, a modern building interior with a geometric staircase, and two women in traditional clothing smiling and standing close together.

On February 7, the Nederlands Fotomuseum, the National Museum of Photography of the Netherlands, will unveil its stunning new home in the Santos warehouse, a national monument perched on Rotterdam’s Rijnhaven. With a collection of over 6.5 million objects, it ranks among the largest photography collections in the world, offering a bold new vision for the way photography is experienced, studied, and celebrated.

A tall, brick building with "Santos" written on the front stands amid construction work. The upper floors have a modern, geometric metal structure. Nearby, contemporary buildings and a street are visible.Nederlands Fotomuseum – front view
© Photo Studio Hans Wilschut Sunlit industrial loft with exposed brick walls, wooden beam ceiling, open green double doors, large windows, and polished concrete floor. Cityscape and blue sky visible through the doors and windows.Nederlands Fotomuseum – restored warehouse interior
© Photo Studio Hans Wilschut A Legacy in Focus: The History of the Nederlands Fotomuseum

The Nederlands Fotomuseum was founded in 2003, thanks in large part to a generous bequest from amateur photographer Hein Wertheimer, whose donation provided the financial foundation for a dedicated national photography institution. From the beginning, the museum’s mission has been to collect, preserve, study, and present Dutch photographic heritage, capturing both the artistic and societal significance of the medium.

The museum grew out of the consolidation of several key photographic organizations, including the Dutch Photo Institute, the Dutch Photo Archive, and the National Photorestoration Atelier, bringing together archival expertise, scholarship, and conservation under one roof. For many years, it was located on the Wilhelminakade in a former workshop building owned by the Holland America Line, serving as a hub for professionals and photography enthusiasts alike.

A vintage oval photograph in a gold frame shows a seated woman in a dark dress and gloves beside a man in a suit and bow tie, both looking at the camera with neutral expressions.Portrait of the Married Couple Johannes
Ellis and Maria Louise de Hart,
Paramaribo, Suriname, circa 1846
Attributed to J.L. Riker or Warren
Thomson
A woman with short, curly hair sits by a window, gazing outside. The wall behind her has sketches and handwritten notes. Soft, natural light fills the room, creating a calm, contemplative mood.We are 17, 1955
© Johan van der Keuken (1938-2001) Three young women stand close together, smiling and embracing. They wear traditional clothing and headscarves, with bracelets on their arms, against a textured wall background. The photo is in black and white.Tuareg Women, Mali, 1964
© Violette Cornelius (1919-1998) A group of young men with 1970s hairstyles and clothing gather around and sit on a white car parked on a residential street, while people, including a woman with a pram, pass by in the background.South Moluccans, Tiel, 1970
© Ed van der Elsken (1925-1990)

Over time, the Fotomuseum developed one of the largest and most important photographic collections in the Netherlands, tracing the medium from early daguerreotypes of the 1840s through postwar socially engaged photography to contemporary works. It now houses over 175 complete estates of Dutch photographers, safeguarding negatives, glass plates, slides, and prints, and earning an international reputation for collection management and conservation.

Beyond its collection, the museum has become a center for research, education, exhibitions, and publications, connecting photography to broader cultural and societal conversations. Its role as an advocate for Dutch photography has extended internationally, making it a key voice in the global photographic community and setting the stage for its new home in the historic Santos warehouse.

Historic black-and-white photo of a large brick warehouse labeled "Santos," with arched windows and people standing in front, located at Rijn- en Maashaven in Rotterdam.Santos warehouse, Rotterdam
Designed by Architects J.P. Stok & J.J. Kanters
Photo credit: Graafland, 1917 Blueprint drawing of a five-story brick building from 1901, showing the front and rear elevations. Architectural details and Dutch text, including "BLAUW HOEDEN VEEM," are visible across the top of the façade.J.J. Kanters & J.P. Stok Wzn
Santos warehouse, front façade
Rijnhaven side, 1901
Collection Rotterdam City Archives
From Coffee Storage to Cultural Landmark

Built between 1901 and 1902 to store coffee from the Brazilian port of Santos, the Santos warehouse is one of the finest examples of early 20th-century warehouse architecture in the Netherlands. After a careful restoration and expansion by RENNER HAINKE WIRTH ZIRN ARCHITEKTEN in collaboration with Rotterdam-based WDJArchitecten and realized by Burgy Bouwbedrijf, the building now houses a nine-story, state-of-the-art museum that blends heritage with transparency, making the museum itself a living part of the visitor experience.

Glass walls reveal the museum’s open storage areas and restoration studios, allowing visitors to witness conservation and cataloguing processes firsthand. The building also features the Gallery of Honour of Dutch Photography, temporary exhibition spaces, a darkroom, open studios, a library with Europe’s most extensive collection of photo books, and a café and restaurant with panoramic views of the Rotterdam skyline.

A man wearing a bandana and a large cross necklace gazes confidently at the camera. He is dressed in a button-up shirt over a white t-shirt, with a blurred outdoor background.Tupac Shakur, 1993
© Dana Lixenberg (1964) A girl lying on a blue blanket.Saskia (Aged 8), 1995
From Mind of their Own, 1995
© Erwin Olaf (1959-2023) A man stands on a beach wearing patterned pants and a watch, with a child draped playfully over his shoulders. The ocean waves and blue sky are visible in the background.D.N.A., 2007 From Flamboya, 2008
© Viviane Sassen (1972) A group of people ride a motorboat on calm water near a lush island with tall palm trees, all tinted in surreal shades of purple and blue under a cloudy sky.The Island of the Colorblind, 2018
© Sanne de Wilde (1987) Celebrating Dutch Photography

Photography has held a central place in Dutch art and culture, from the early adoption of the medium in the 19th century to postwar socially engaged photography that influenced the world. The Gallery of Honour charts this history through 99 iconic works by artists including Anton Corbijn, Rineke Dijkstra, Erwin Olaf, Dana Lixenberg, Ed van der Elsken, Paul Huf, and Violette Cornelius. Visitors themselves will choose the 100th work, underscoring the museum’s commitment to inclusivity and public participation.

A lone motorcyclist rides on a road between large industrial tanks, with a sprawling refinery and smokestacks visible in the background under a hazy sky.Cas Oorthuys, Vondelingenweg, 1957-1958
Nederlands Fotomuseum
© Cas Oorthuys/Nederlands
Fotomuseum

Two major exhibitions will inaugurate the new museum. “Rotterdam in Focus: The City in Photographs 1843 — Now” presents over 300 images tracing the city’s transformation over nearly two centuries. Works by Hans Aarsman, Iwan Baan, Eva Besnyö, Cas Oorthuys, Otto Snoek, and others highlight both professional and amateur perspectives. Curated by Frits Gierstberg and Joop de Jong, the exhibition runs until May 24, 2026, and is accompanied by a publication from nai010.

Meanwhile, “Awakening in Blue: An Ode to Cyanotype” celebrates the rich, artisanal cyanotype technique. Featuring 15 contemporary artists who explore ecology, colonialism, and the body through this historic process, the exhibition bathes the galleries in a deep, resonant blue. Curated by MAISON the FAUX, it runs until June 7, 2026.

A translucent plastic bag is captured in white against a deep blue background, creating a cyanotype effect with crumpled textures and shadows highlighting the bag’s delicate, floating form.Suzette Bousema, Future Relics 40, 2025
© Suzette Bousema A Living Room for Photography

The ground floor offers a café, library, museum shop, and reception, accessible to all visitors, ticket or not. Here, at what the museum has nicknamed a “living room for photography,” the visual art becomes a shared experience, amplified by a short film by Rotterdam-based photographer Marwan Magroun, commissioned especially for the reopening.

With its vertical galleries, open studios, and panoramic city views, the new Nederlands Fotomuseum reimagines what a photography museum can be: part archive, part laboratory, part civic salon. It stands as a monument not only to the art of photography but also to the power of the image to connect, challenge, and inspire.

Image credits: Nederlands Fotomuseum, individual artists as credited.