Whistler Tours

James McNeill Whistler is considered one of the most influential and controversial artists of the 19th century. He was also one of the most fervent advocates of the idea that art need not serve a moral, social, or political purpose, but exists purely for its own beauty.

Whistler created many famous paintings but is also renowned for his numerous etchings and drawings depicting cities such as Paris, Amsterdam, and Venice.

Whistler. Dandy and Disruptor is the first retrospective exhibition in the Netherlands featuring work by this distinctive artist.

Join a guided tour and discover the stories behind the well-known and lesser-known works in the exhibition. Together with a guide and other participants, you will explore this special exhibition in 30 minutes.

• Number of participants: max. 12.
• Age: 18+.
• Duration: 50 minutes.
• Language: English and Dutch.
• When: from 16 October 2026 to 10 January 2027; in Dutch every Saturday at 11 am and Sunday at 3 pm. In English every Tuesday at 9:30 am and Sunday at 11 am. Check the booking system for availability.
• Price: € 7.50 per person, excluding museum admission. From 1 January 2027: € 10.

Would you like to take a guided tour of the exhibition with your own group? Then you can book a private tour.

Explore Whistler’s work together: from his early realistic portraits – including the famous portrait of his mother – and his dreamy nocturnes and prints of dockworkers and dilapidated housing, to his late full-length portraits.

Discover how Whistler turned ideas about the role of art and the artist upside down in the late nineteenth century, and how he championed the concept of ‘art for art’s sake’.

• Number of people per group: max. 12. You can also book for fewer people, but the price remains the same.
• Duration: 50 minutes.
• Language: English and Dutch.
• When: from 16 October 2026 to 10 January 2027, on various days at various times. Check the booking system for availability.
• Price: € 130 per group, excluding museum admission.

Book the private tour at least five days ahead of your visit.