The uber cool Moco in Amsterdam

Located in the midst of the famous and splendid museums of Amsterdam, Moco is easy to miss. It is situated on Museumplein along with Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum. It is housed inside Villa Alsberg, a building that was designed by Eduard Cuypers, the nephew of Pierre Cuypers who designed the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Central Station. Villa Alsberg itself dates back to 1904 and this privately owned boutique museum is one of the most popular places in the city. Its founders, Kim and Lionel Logchies are art curators and gallery owners and they made sure to keep Moco Museum both playful and visual. A wide selection of works by artworld trailblazers like Kusama, Roy Lichtenstein, and Dali are exhibited there and Moco has more than 50 original pieces by Banksy. The aim of Moco Museum is to present the best of the contemporary art world to people that are not that much into art at all. Apart from its excellent permanent exhibits, Moco always has a great selection of temporary exhibitions as well. The museum also features ever-revolving exhibitions.

Table of Contents

A great introduction to contemporary art

The exhibitions are displayed at different levels of the villa and there is a small garden that houses famous pieces of installation art. The permanent works by Hirst & Dali, Koons, Haring, Basquiat, Kusama, and Warhol are beautifully categorized and politically themed and the famous Banksy collection includes the ‘Girl with Balloon’, ‘Flower Thrower’, and ‘Laugh now’. The coziness of the museum imbibes a comfortable atmosphere and the friendly, casually dressed staff make the experience a fun, informal affair. Gone are the stuffy, snooty, formal vibes of great museums where the staff look down upon first-time visitors. Moco Museum, as I said before, is meant for those who are not the artsy types, and it makes art a fun thing to experience. Moco offers an overall experience and I guess, the whole ‘fun’ concept makes people throng this relatively new establishment. There’s nothing ‘Har Har’ and ‘intellectual type’ vibe happening at Moco. Instead, there are plenty of contemporary art newbies who are looking at the exhibitions, taking selfies, and immersing themselves joyfully in the Reflecting Forward immersive light exhibition.

Moco fun fact

Since the experience is so high on the priority list of Moco founders, many of the works are displayed in their original forms. Since some of these were first seen in subways and streets, the pieces are exhibited along with the wooden doors or metal shutters on which they were first made. An interesting fact is that some works were rescued from the rubble of demolished buildings and are extremely valuable. To make the immersive experience more personalized, big brands such as Disney, Dior, and H&M feature in the permanent exhibitions highlighting the relevance the art has to current society and modern consumerism. Overall, Moco Museum is definitely one of the most unique and exciting cultural spots in the city, and the next time, you are in Amsterdam, don’t give it amiss.

Banksy’s Beanfield

Moco Museum Visiting Travel Tips

How to reach

By Underground – Take the 52 from Amsterdam Centraal. It will take around 15 minutes to Vijzelgracht station and from there, it is a few minutes’ walk to Moco Museum.
By Tram – The numbers 2 or 12 tram takes you straight to Moco Museum from Amsterdam Centraal. It is a 20 minutes journey.

Opening Times

Open daily
Monday to Thursday – 9 am-6 pm
Weekends (Friday to Sunday) – 9 am-8 pm

Ticket Prices

Entry costs €19,50. This includes access to the whole museum, and the Moco garden.
Children under 12 go free.
There are discounts for teenagers and students.

Booking the Moco Museum ticket

Tickets can be bought online on the Moco museum website. At the time of my visit this spring in 2022, no tickets could be bought at the museum itself.
Book a time slot to visit at the time of your purchase and make sure that you visit the museum at that time.
This museum is included in the IAmsterdam city card. However, don’t forget that you still need to reserve a time slot online. Simply go to the tickets page and you’ll see the €0 booking options.

Extra Tips for visiting Moco Museum

If possible, avoid weekends between 11 am till 5 pm. These are the peak hours and the museum can get awfully crowded.
Take the time to read the descriptions of the artwork throughout the museum or get the audioguide. They really contribute to the overall experience of the tour.
Moco museum permits photography but make sure not to use the flash.

Highlights of the Moco Museum

Banksy’s Girl with Balloon – Created in 2003, this is one Banksy’s most famous art pieces. Although made of only three colours, black, white, and red, its stark simple beauty is captivating.
Banksy’s Beanfield – It hadn’t been displayed anywhere since 2009.
Andy Warhol’s ‘Dollar’ – In this work, the king of the Pop Art world contemplates art and wealth, and how the two can’t live without each other.
Garden exhibitions – Although the garden collection is constantly changing, the exhibition allows visitors to closely interact with outdoor sculptures by contemporary masters. The recent highlight is KAWS’s Final Days, a larger-than-life artwork sculpted from afrormosia, a historic African wood that is believed to hold spiritual energy.
Diamond Matrix – Contemporary artist Studio Irma has created a stunning new immersive digital art exhibition: “Reflecting Forward”. It is housed in the basement of Moco Museum and is one of its highlights. Brightly colored lights and rhythmic, scene-setting music usher you through the interactive works of art.
Banksy’s ‘Girl with balloon’

Moco Museum diamond matrix