BONNEFANTENMUSEUM

This museum on the right bank houses the collections of the Bonnefantenmuseum, which used to be located in the center of the city. If the name makes sense to you in French, it actually means "good children", as the museum was once located in the Bonnefantenklooster, "convent of the good children". The building was designed by Aldo Rossi on the site of the former Sphinx ceramics factory in the city. The building is sober with red brick walls and the futuristic 29-meter high tower, symbol of Maastricht. The whole is symmetrical and in the lobby there is another tower. Note the sublime staircase in blond wood, the brick walls and especially the glass roof which reminds of shipbuilding. The white wall and the small window can evoke a kind of modern Venice. The museum's collections are varied and revolve around two main areas: ancient and contemporary art.

The collection of ancient art is housed on the second floor and is devoted in particular to medieval art, with sculptures and paintings very well presented in a bright and sober setting. The museum presents numerous works by Pieter Aertsen, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Jacob Jordaens, Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony Van Dijk. Religious art is honored, but also bourgeois art with many portraits of notables. The museum works closely with the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and regularly presents works from Amsterdam. In one of the rooms of the museum you can see a very interesting and active restoration workshop behind glass. Fascinating work that these people do!

One can then admire an important collection of medieval Mosan sculptures with in particular works of the master of Elsloo, remained anonymous, and of Jan van Steffeswert. The Willem Neutelings collection is also worth your attention; it includes diptychs, statues, altar fragments..

The second floor of the museum is devoted to the contemporary art collection. The emphasis of the contemporary art section is to present new artists and talents. The museum also presents an important collection of posters by Joseph Beuys, as well as works (dark, very dark) by René Daniels. Numerous temporary exhibitions of young artists are presented in an innovative setting. The dome of the museum is also the setting for a temporary work that should not be missed. The latest was Sol LeWitt's Spiral, a white line that runs from the bottom of the dome to the top, the result is amazing.