Foam (Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam) is Amsterdam's photography museum, housed since 2001 in canal houses on the Keizersgracht, a few minutes from Rembrandtplein. It has no permanent collection on display: it shows several temporary exhibitions at once, mixing big names in documentary, fashion and portrait photography with young photographers. A visit usually takes an hour to an hour and a half. An adult ticket costs €16, and admission is free for children under 13 and with the Museumkaart.
Highlights
The major exhibitions
Every year, Foam devotes several major exhibitions to established photographers, such as the Surinamese photographer Augusta Curiel, shown here in 2025. In autumn 2026, the museum presents "The edge of things", the first major retrospective of photographer Nadav Kander, until 31 January 2027: landscapes of the Yangtze, the Thames estuary and Chernobyl, as well as portraits.
The former Fodor Museum
The pale stone façade of number 609, dated 1861, still bears the inscription "Museum Fodor". The collector Carel Joseph Fodor left his paintings and this building to the city, which ran a museum here from 1863 to 1994. The architects Benthem Crouwel then joined three canal houses together to create Foam, officially opened in 2002.
Young talent
Foam also shows many shorter exhibitions devoted to photographers at the start of their careers, notably those selected through the international Foam Talent call and those in the small Foam 3h presentations. This 1897 photograph by the Amsterdam photographer Jacob Olie shows, at the same number 609, the studio of the painter E. S. Witkamp, director of the Fodor Museum from 1894 to 1897.
The café and the bookshop
The Foam Café and the shop, well stocked with photography books, are inside the museum. The café keeps the museum's opening hours, including Thursday and Friday evenings.
Infos pratiques
Tips
Prices checked in October 2026 on the official ticket shop: adult €16, student €12.80 on showing a student card, school pupils under 18 and CJP card holders €11.75, free up to age 12, with the Museumkaart and with the I amsterdam City Card. Walk-in visitors are welcome, but the museum recommends booking online. The historic building is not fully wheelchair accessible: there is a lift and an accessible toilet, and the museum asks you to contact it before your visit; a companion gets in free. The exhibitions change several times a year: check the programme before you go. Foam is a good choice for [a rainy day in Amsterdam](/fr/articles/que-faire-a-amsterdam-quand-il-pleut).
How to get there
Keizersgracht 609, 1017 DS Amsterdam, in the [canal ring](/fr/attractions/canaux-amsterdam), opposite Museum Van Loon. Metro 52, Vijzelgracht station, about a 5-minute walk away. From [Central Station](/fr/attractions/gare-centrale-amsterdam), metro 52 takes you there directly in a few minutes. The [flower market](/fr/attractions/marche-aux-fleurs-amsterdam) is less than 10 minutes away on foot.
Opening hours
Nearby
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