Last summer both museums announced that the Van Gogh collection, as from 29 September 2012,  would be exhibited in the Hermitage Amsterdam for a period of 4 months, due to the renovation of the Van Gogh Museum. The two executives are exploring the possibility of extending this period as the renovation of the Van Gogh Museum is planned to be finalised on 1 May 2013.

Axel Rüger, managing director of Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam:
“We attract 1.5 million visitors annually and we do not want to disappoint them. As from the moment we decided on the highly needed renovation, we started looking out for alternatives so that the collection could remain accessible to the public. We were therefore more than happy with the temporary cooperation for the period of four months. Together with the Hermitage Amsterdam and the city of Amsterdam, we are investigating the possibility of extending this cooperation in order to keep the collection open for the public until May 2013.”
 

Cathelijne Broers, managing director Hermitage Amsterdam:
“We are in discussion and will try to come to a solution, with the help of a substantial doses of creativity and flexibility. We are looking into our programme for the period 2012-2013. It would be fantastic for both our public, the tourists as well as the city of Amsterdam if we could extend our cooperation. All three parties are working very hard on it.”