Huis Marseille: the photography museum on the Keizersgracht, tickets, opening hours and exhibitions

Updated on October 2, 2026

Huis Marseille is a photography museum housed in two 17th-century canal houses at numbers 401 and 399 Keizersgracht, a stone's throw from the Nine Streets. Opened in 1999, it was the first museum in the Netherlands devoted solely to photography as an art form. It focuses on modern and contemporary photography, Dutch and international, in temporary exhibitions spread over fourteen rooms. The house itself is part of the draw: period rooms, an 18th-century painted ceiling and a garden at the back. An adult ticket costs €12.50, and admission is free for under-18s and with the Museumkaart.

Highlights

The two canal houses

Number 401 was built around 1665 for Isaac Fouquier, a French merchant who had made his fortune in overseas trade. On the façade he had a carved stone placed showing the port of Marseille, with the city's name cut into it and gilded: this is where the museum's name comes from. Declared bankrupt in 1676, he had to sell the house. The renovated house next door at number 399 joined the museum in 2013, doubling the number of rooms.

The Garden Room and its decoration

The original 17th-century layout, with the front section, courtyard, back section and garden, has largely survived. The entrance hall keeps its 18th-century stuccowork, featuring Mercury, god of trade, and Victoria, goddess of victory. On the first floor, the Garden Room has a ceiling painted by Jacob de Wit around 1730, showing Apollo enthroned on the clouds with Minerva and the nine Muses; after restoration it returned to its place in 2004. A Louis XIV-style room has had its original red mouldings restored.

The garden and its pavilion

Behind the two houses lie their canal gardens, open to visitors, with an 18th-century garden house at the far end, rebuilt in 2003 after the original fell into disrepair in the 1960s. Your ticket gives access to the garden, the garden house and the museum's library.

The autumn 2026 exhibitions

Until 18 October 2026, "Wunderkind" is a large solo exhibition by the American artist Martine Gutierrez, born in 1989, who explores identity through self-portraiture and cinematic tableaus, including works from her childhood. From 24 October 2026 to 7 February 2027, the museum presents three exhibitions: Adolphe de Meyer, a pioneer of fashion photography, with a series of 75 photographs of his life in Venice found in 2019 at the municipal library of Tours and shown in full for the first time; "Hier" by Andrzej Steinbach; and "Belongings" by Maya Inès Touam.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Prices checked in October 2026 on the official website: adult €12.50, €10 per person for groups of more than 8, €6.50 for students, over-65s and holders of the CJP, Rembrandtpas and Uitpas cards, free for under-18s, with the Museumkaart, the I amsterdam City Card and the Stadspas. The specialist photobook shop is free to enter during opening hours. The two houses have many staircases and are not fully wheelchair accessible; a companion gets in free. The museum closes while exhibitions are being installed: check the programme if you are coming between 18 and 24 October 2026. For the city's other photography museum, see Foam, about fifteen minutes' walk away on the same canal; Huis Marseille is also one of the canal houses worth visiting.

How to get there

Keizersgracht 401, 1016 EK Amsterdam, in the canal ring. From Central Station, take tram 2, 17 or 24 to the Keizersgracht stop, then walk about 4 minutes. The museum is about a 10-minute walk from Dam Square.