Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen
The Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is the world's first publicly accessible art storage facility, a bowl-shaped mirrored building that opened in 2021 to house the museum's collection while its main building undergoes renovation. Rather than curated exhibitions, visitors walk through the actual storage floors, seeing thousands of artworks — from old masters to contemporary pieces — stored much as museum staff would encounter them, plus glass-walled restoration studios where conservators work.
It's a genuinely different museum experience, closer to a warehouse tour than a traditional gallery, and its mirrored exterior reflecting the surrounding park has become a landmark in its own right. Note that with the main Boijmans building closed for renovation, the Depot is currently the primary way to see the collection.
Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen FAQs
It's related but distinct — the Depot is a storage facility open to the public while the main museum building is closed for renovation, offering a different, warehouse-style way to see the collection.
No, for the most part you're walking through actual storage racks and shelving, seeing how a museum stores its collection rather than a themed exhibition.
One to two hours covers the depot's floors at a comfortable pace.
Yes, glass-walled studios allow visitors to observe conservators at work on pieces from the collection.
Yes, the format itself — seeing how a major museum actually stores and manages thousands of artworks — is interesting independent of art expertise.
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