Art Behind Closed Doors
Will Amsterdam's cultural institutions survive the pandemic shutdown?
In 2019 alone, there were 2.1 million visitors to Amsterdam's Van Gogh museum - now the city's 140 museums have been forced to close. 'Normally we would have generated 1.4 million a month in ticket sales,' explains the Van Gogh museum's director. Now, they are having to cancel exhibitions and let go of staff. Out of desperation, some museums are turning to virtual tours. ‘You can log in from anywhere in the world,’ explains one museum employee. The Dutch government has stepped in to support museums, but lockdown restrictions are still taking a financial toll. 'We're happy about the way the government is supporting us. But it's just not enough,’ says the director of Anne Frank House.
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