On February 7, 2026, the Nederlands Fotomuseum, the National Museum of Photography, will open its doors in the recently renovated Santos warehouse, a national monument located on Rotterdam's Rijnhaven. With over 6.5 million objects, the museum has one of the largest museum collections of photography in the world. In this monumental building, cultural heritage, architecture, and a contemporary museum presentation come together to create an international meeting place for photography.
National Museum of Photography
The Nederlands Fotomuseum is the National Museum of Photography of the Netherlands: it collects, preserves, studies, and presents Dutch photographic heritage. The museum occupies a key position in Dutch photography. Photography was embraced early on in the Netherlands as an art form and as a means of capturing modern society. After the Second World War, a socially engaged style developed that became internationally influential, while contemporary photographers explore new artistic directions.
State-of-the-art accommodation
The opening in the Santos warehouse heralds a new chapter for the most important centre for photography in the Netherlands. In the nine-story state-of-the-art building—one of the best-preserved historic warehouses in the country—visitors will not only have access to masterpieces from the national collection, but also a unique glimpse behind the scenes in the open storage rooms and restoration workshops. This new museum houses the Gallery of Honour of Dutch Photography, temporary exhibitions and educational spaces. It also has a library with the largest collection of photo books in Europe, a darkroom, open studio spaces, a café and a restaurant with a panoramic view of the Rotterdam skyline. The move to Santos was made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Droom en Daad Foundation.
Opening exhibition: Rotterdam in Focus
Rotterdam in Focus: The City in Photographs 1843 – Now offers an impressive overview of photography of the city from 1843 to the present day. More than 300 photos unfold the development of photography over a period of some 180 years. They were taken by both professional and amateur photographers. Iconic photographers such as Hans Aarsman, Iwan Baan, Eva Besnyö, Henri Berssenbrugge, Johann Georg Hameter, Helena van der Kraan, Jannes Linders, Cas Oorthuys, Otto Snoek and others show how a changing Rotterdam constantly challenges us to find new ways of looking, observing, and photographing. The exhibition includes work from leading collections, including those of the Nederlands Fotomuseum, the Stadsarchief Rotterdam, the Dutch Royal Collections, and the Maria Austria Institute. The exhibition has been curated by guest curators Frits Gierstberg and Joop de Jong and will be on display until May 24, 2026. The book of the same name will be published by nai010.
Opening exhibition: Awakening in Blue
The exhibition Awakening in Blue: An Ode to Cyanotype celebrates the timeless beauty of one of the oldest and most recognisable photographic techniques: cyanotype. The deep blue medium is known for its artisanal character and its slow, direct working method. In addition to rare, early blueprints, the exhibition features work by fifteen contemporary artists. They breathe new life into this nineteenth-century technique, combining it with new media and a variety of materials. Their work explores current themes such as ecology, colonialism and the body as a living archive. The exhibition is designed by MAISON the FAUX, a Dutch interdisciplinary collective known for their groundbreaking work at the intersection of fashion, performance, and installation art. The exhibition runs until June 7, 2026.
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