Moco Museum: modern art in a villa near Museumplein
The Amsterdam museum combines street art, modern masters and digital displays. Visitors should note the varying ticket prices and limited accessibility of its historic building.
Villa Alsberg stands at Honthorststraat 20, close to Museumplein. In this historic building, Moco Museum presents modern and contemporary art, street art and digital art. The two photographs accompanying this profile show the villa from outside; the second predates the museum’s present displays. Neither shows an artwork in the galleries.
On its exhibition page, Moco distinguishes permanent collections from temporary shows. Its standing displays include Laugh Now with work by Banksy, Modern Masters, Contemporary Masters and digital and immersive art by Studio Irma. A visit can move from paintings or prints to screens and spatial installations.
The Banksy presentation calls for a precise distinction. Moco lists works including Laugh Now, Girl with Balloon, Flower Thrower and pieces from the Crude Oil series. According to the museum, the works on display have certificates of authenticity from Pest Control. At the same time, Moco explicitly says Laugh Now was neither authorised nor curated by Banksy. It is therefore the museum’s presentation of the artist’s work, not an exhibition he arranged himself. That distinction matters to visitors who want to understand the relationship between artist and museum.
Moco names work by Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat in Modern Masters. Its overview page also lists temporary presentations, including Robbie Williams: Pride and Self Prejudice. End dates are not always given for temporary shows. The standing displays provide a more dependable starting point.
Moco is a private museum opened by gallery owners in 2016. The museum suggests allowing about an hour for a regular visit. A free audio tour offers more information about what is on display.
For Friday 16 October, the Dutch-language visitor page lists hours of 9 am to 8 pm. It gives the same hours for other days, although an English-language subpage lists an earlier closing time on some days. Moco uses variable ticket prices: early and late slots may be cheaper. No fixed admission price is listed, and the Museumkaart is not named as an admission card. According to Moco, tickets cannot be refunded after purchase.
The historic building has narrow staircases. Moco says it is therefore inaccessible to wheelchairs, mobility scooters, prams and pushchairs. This is essential to know when planning a visit. The address is Honthorststraat 20, Amsterdam.