Art Zoo Museum

Taxidermy works displayed in dramatic settings that evoke the atmosphere of classic Dutch still life paintings.

Art Zoo Museum is not a traditional natural history museum, but rather a modern reinvention of the classic "cabinet of curiosities," where animals are preserved and posed as dramatic, aesthetic sculptures inspired by the compositions of Old Master paintings.

Modern-day Wunderkammer

The museum is an artistic project by Darwin*, Sinke & Van Tongeren, an internationally acclaimed Dutch artist duo specializing in high-end, theatrical taxidermy. Their work is inspired by 17th-century Dutch masters.

They arrange animals in dynamic, painterly compositions rather than traditional museum poses. Only animals that have died of natural causes, sourced from zoos or specialized breeders, are used.

* The name "Darwin" is a tribute to Charles Darwin, whom they consider their "silent partner" and source of inspiration.

Cromhouthuizen

A big part of the experience is the building itself. The museum is housed in the stately Cromhout Houses (Cromhouthuizen) at the Herengracht in the heart of Amsterdam's historic canal district.

It was built by Dutch Golden Age architect Philips Vingboons for the Amsterdam merchant Jacob Cromhout in 1662, and exists of 4 impressive buildings on Amsterdam's stylish Herengracht canal. Vingboons specialized in designing elegant townhouses and private residences for wealthy merchants.

You can admire the 17th-century architecture, the famous blue Rococo staircase, and ceiling paintings by Jacob de Wit.

The buildings still contain the original kitchens. Of special note is the elliptical English grand staircase in Rococo style running from the marble hall to the building's several floors. Two of the rooms have have ceiling paintings that were executed by Jacob de Wit and date from 1718 and 1750.