One-hundred twenty-five thousand sunflowers will appear in Amsterdam’s Museumplein this weekend, marking the completion of the Van Gogh Museum’s brand new all-glass entrance. The translucent new foyer—marked by 12-meter glass rafters and 9.4-meter long exterior glass anchors—will open directly onto Museum Square, home to other cultural institutions like Rijksmuseum and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
Tourists will benefit most from the new structural addition: thanks to a recent increase in annual visitors, the museum needed a larger, more streamlined access point from the main square.
To celebrate the occasion, a 75,350 sq ft labyrinth, made entirely of sunflowers, will take over Museumplein starting Saturday 5, and ending Sunday. Entrance to the maze will be free, and there will be several dedicated areas to take photos, as well as performances by Dutch singer-songwriters.
Van Gogh’s fascination with the gold-petaled plant led to a series of still life paintings, one of which hangs in the museum’s permanent exhibition.
