Moco Museum, Amsterdam Overview

Moco Museum is a boutique museum that is well-visited for its exquisite collections of modern and contemporary art by famous artists like Banksy, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol. It is located on Museumplein, Villa Asberg.

This breathtaking privately-owned museum was opened to make contemporary art accessible to the public; especially to attract younger audiences. Though the museum is comparatively smaller than many others in the area, it is a great place to visit if one has a liking for the work of the artists featured at the museum. It was designed by the Dutch architect- Eduard Cuypers in 1904. This townhouse counted among one of the first Museumplein’s privately-owned residencies until 1939. The breathtaking mansion was opened as a museum in 2016 and have been greatly admired by visitors for it adds glory to the beautiful collections exhibited here. It is also quite different than the other three prominent museums located on Museumplein, namely the Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, and Stedelijk museum.

One of the much-admired aspects of Moco Museum is the unique collection of subversive art displayed here that makes use of irony and humour to depict modern society. Works featuring social and political issues such as freedom, refugees, love, acceptance, and violence will surely make one think about their values and way of living long after they have stepped out of the museum. Therefore, many works by various pop artists displayed at the museum are not just pleasing to the eye, but they make you re-evaluate your perspective on popular culture and modern society.

Ticket Prices for Moco Museum

The door price of the tickets are as follows -

Adults - EUR 15
Students (Student ID card required) - EUR 12.50
Age 10 to 17 years - EUR 9.50
Stadspas/CJP with Stadpass/CJP Card - EUR 10
Children below the age of 10 - Free of cost
Groups of 15 or more adults and students can now buy tickets at a discounted price of 12 EUR and 8.50 EUR per ticket.
Visitors can also book an Audiotour for 2.50 EUR to gain the full experience of this museum.
The online ticket price for all the above-mentioned people is 1 EUR below the door price.

Furthermore, one can seek advantage of the various discount offers on the Internet to gain access to these tickets at an even lower price. If one has to cancel or change their reservation dates, they can easily do so for free of charge before five days of their scheduled visiting time; any later than that and they would have to bear the full expenses of the reservation. With the museum ticket, visitors can enter the museum up to 30 minutes after their scheduled starting time.

History of Moco Museum

The building of Moco Museum was designed in 1904 by Eduard Cuypers, who is the nephew of the famous Dutch architect- Pierre Cuypers (known for his work on Amsterdam Central Station and the neighbouring Rijksmuseum). This mansion served as a family home until 1939, after which it was given on lease to the priest that taught at Saint Nicholas School in Amsterdam. Later, the building was used as an office by a law firm.

Subsequently, the proprietors of the Lionel Gallery of Amsterdam - Kim and Lionel Logchies- founded this museum in 2016. This couple especially carries an interest in the works of Banksy, Jeff Koons, Picasso, Damien Hirst, and Andy Warhol. While it was due to their personal network that the couple was able to gain access to exhibition pieces, they now display concealed and exclusive pieces in the temporary exhibitions that take place at the museum for the benefit of the public.

Exhibitions at the Moco Museum

Bansky’s iconic piece ‘Battle of the Beanfield’ at the Moco Museum, Amsterdam — Source

The exhibitions at the Moco Museum are held across different levels wherein there are some permanent works by famous artists such as Haring, Koons, Kusama, Hirst, and Warhol that are politically themed in its nature. These permanent artworks were originally seen in street art or subways, and some huge brands like Disney and H&M are also displayed permanently here with the motive to depict consumerism in modern society in the form of art. Moco Masters collection is also permanently displayed at the museum to honour works of inspiring artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, and Damien Hirst.

Maid in London, Moco Museum, Amsterdam — Source

Works by the mysterious British artist - Banksy, are especially well appreciated by visitors for it is the very first time that his street pieces, as well as indoor works, are displayed in a museum. The eye-catcher Beanfield painting on the ground floor and other exemplary works such as ‘Laugh Now’, ‘Flower Thrower’, ‘Keep It Real’, and ‘Girl With Balloon’ continue to be the highlight of the Moco Museum.

Along with these permanent exhibitions, various temporary exhibitions are also held at the museum that usually changes in every 9 months. Some of the recent temporary exhibitions are listed as follows:

Works by Japanese artist and Polkadot specialist- Yayoi Kusama (22 March- 30 September 2019)

Banksy’s ‘Laugh Now’ exhibition (extended till 30 September 2019)

‘Connecting Time’ exhibition by Daniel Arsham that incorporates a variety of disciplines including sculpture art, performance, film, architecture, and design (18 January- 30 September 2019)

Sculpture Art at the Moco Garden

Whisbe’s Gummy Bear displayed at the Moco Garden in Moco Museum, Amsterdam — Source

Apart from the indoor exhibitions, Moco Museum features multiple sculpture art pieces from all across the world outside the building at the Moco Garden. These mesmerizing pieces make one think that they have jumped onto a new adventure with red gummy bear popping in the view of the garden. Whisbe’s ‘Gummy Bear’, Banksy’s ‘Heart Boy’, and Fidia’ ‘Freaky Mouse’ are some of the works displayed at the Moco Garden; though pieces constantly keep on changing.

Information and Tips While Visiting Moco Museum

To get a better insight about the collections displayed at the museum, it is better to read the descriptions of the collections or to get a hand-held audio tour (costing merely 2.50 EUR extra). Visitors can select any one of the six languages available for the tour that includes English, Dutch, French, Spanish, German, and Italian.
One can now hire the historical mansion of the Moco Museum in the evenings for private events and functions if they wish.
Moco Museum gets very crowded during peak hours (between 11 AM and 5 PM) and weekends making it a bit difficult to take full advantage of the tour. Also, there are discount offers on entry tickets on hours outside these peak hours. Therefore, visitors should try to avoid visiting the museums during these times.
This museum features exhibits on multiple levels, which unfortunately means that wheelchairs cannot be accessible at this place.

Timings for Moco Museum

Sunday to Thursday - 9 AM to 8 PM

Fridays and Saturdays - 9 AM to 9 PM

In order to gain entry to the Moco Museum, visitors need to buy a ticket which they can either buy online or at the doorstep of the museum. Though buying online is a comparatively better idea as not only one wouldn’t have to waste their time standing in long queues but the price of the ticket is also cheaper online.

How To Reach Moco Museum

While it is a good idea to walk through the beautiful city of Amsterdam to reach the Moco Museum, there are a number of public transit options such as Light Rail, Bus, Metro and Train that one can make use of in Amsterdam.

By Rail Lines: Light Rail lines 5 and 12 stop at Rijksmuseum, Van Baerlestraat, and Spiegelgracht stations, that are only a few minutes away from the Moco Museum.

By Bus: Bus lines 65, 170 and 172 can also be used to reach Museumplein or Ruysdaelkade bus stop that is only at a 5-minute walking distance from the museum.

By Metro: Furthermore, Metro line 54 and train line Intercity and Sprinter can also be used to get to the stations closest to Moco Museum.