At Keizersgracht 609, a carved palette and brushes recall the building’s first museum life as Museum Fodor. Today Foam presents changing exhibitions across photography’s many genres, bringing historic images and new voices into conversation.
Quick facts
Museum Fodor opened at Keizersgracht 609 in 1863 as Amsterdam’s first municipal museum.
Foam’s first exhibition, *dutchdelight*, opened on 13 December 2001; its catalogue became the first issue of *Foam Magazine*.
Foam’s 2026 sustainability renovation restored rediscovered historic shutters and repaired old ceilings while improving insulation and climate control.
Get directions to FOAM Photography Museum. Confirm the visitor entrance and current access with the venue before travelling.
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At Keizersgracht 609, a carved painter’s palette and brushes above a first-floor window offer a clue to the house’s earlier life. This is FOAM, Amsterdam’s photography museum, but the building was made a museum once before: its nineteenth-century predecessor was the Museum Fodor, founded around the art collection of coal merchant and collector Carel Joseph Fodor.
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