The modern building of the museum, built in 1885 by the architect P. J. Kuypers in the style of pseudo-Gothic and pseudo-Renaissance, over the years has become not only too cramped for the expanded art collections, but also lost its once clear structure: courtyards were built up in the 1950s-1960s with exhibition halls, new buildings were added.
Now, according to the project "New Rijksmuseum", the disorderly labyrinth of premises will disappear: from the new lobby, visitors can enter the cleared courtyards, from where they can get acquainted with the location of the museum complex, as well as enter the new underground galleries.
A new wing of stone and glass will appear between the old buildings, where collections of Asian art will be exhibited. Another completely new facility will be the backyard education center, which will also house a museum library. Both buildings are designed in the form of volumes of three connected "ledges", which gives them an almost sculptural character compared to the original building of the 19th century.
