At Moco Amsterdam, the drama begins at the door. You push through heavy black velvet curtains to enter, like you’re sneaking into a secret show.
And once inside, the experience doesn’t disappoint. If you’re into bold visuals, modern icons, and a dash of rebellious energy, Moco is the place to be in the city.
A private museum with locations in Amsterdam, Barcelona, and London, it’s filled with street art, pop art, and jaw-dropping installations.
It’s not cutting-edge, head-scratching conceptual art. Instead, you’ll find a nice mix of established contemporary artists and rising stars.
There are big names like Banksy, Warhol, Hirst, KAWS, and Kusama throughout the galleries. There are also immersive digital installations that feel a bit like stepping into one of Kusama’s more famous infinity mirror rooms.
The museum is housed in a classic old townhouse, but the atmosphere is anything but traditional. Inside, Moco is edgy, playful, and refreshingly different from your typical museum experience.
It’s not a large space either. More like a delicious bite of gorgeous art served in a gorgeous setting. Your photos will definitely be the envy of your social media followers.
Moco also keeps things fresh by regularly updating its exhibitions, so the displays you see might differ slightly from what I describe below.
>>> Click here to pre-book a Moco ticket
Quick Tips & Layout
The museum is laid out over three floors.
I started at the top and worked my way down, which is what the docent scanning my ticket suggested.
Floor Plan:
- 2nd Floor: Contemporary Masters (Hirst, Murakami, KAWS, Basquiat, Koons, Stik)
- 1st Floor: Modern & Pop Art (Banksy, Warhol, Keith Haring, Yayoi Kusama, Robbie Williams)
- Ground Floor: digital art installations & gift shop
Tips For Visiting:
Here are some things to know before you go:
- Book your ticket online, especially in high season.
- Arrive within 15 minutes of your timed entry slot.
- Same-day tickets might not be available at the door.
- Plan for about an hour+ to visit.
- Pick up an audio guide if you like, though there’s plenty of signage around.
- Wear your small backpack in front; it’s a museum rule.
You won’t find Moco in many guidebooks. Don’t let that fool you.
It was pretty crowded when I visited, and it’s a small-ish museum. Expect crowds because this place is Instagram famous.
Guide To Moco: What To See
Moco Contemporary Masters
Marina Abramović
Marina Abramović is one of the greatest living performance and conceptual artists. She uses her body as both the medium and the message, blurring the line between artist and audience in ways that are still startling today.
When I visited, Moco one of her most personal videos on display: The Hero.
In the video, Abramović sits on a horse, holding a white flag rippling in the wind. The video pays tribute to her father, Vojo, a Yugoslavian hero from World War II.
In her words, “Our planet needs uncorrupted heroes with morality, who embody courage and bring real change.” The Hero might leave you wondering — in a chaotic world, could surrender sometimes be its own kind of courage?
Takashi Murakami
Murakami is a Japanese artist who does it all: painting, sculpture, fashion, film, and even animation.
His bright, cheerful art is a huge hit in Japan, much like Andy Warhol’s pop art took off in the U.S. Murakami blends Japanese and Western styles to create colorful, fantastical worlds that seem both playful and a little mysterious.
He calls his style “Superflat.” This term not only describes the flat, graphic look of his work but also the way he blurs the line between high art and pop culture.
At Moco, you’ll see his famous flowers. The endlessly cheerful, rainbow-bright daisies. They show up everywhere these days, from canvases to sneakers to Kanye West album covers.
But according to Murakami, their frozen smiles aren’t as innocent as they seem.
They symbolize deep, repressed trauma tied to the atomic bombings of 1945. Because naturally, nothing captures post-nuclear angst quite like a designer tote bag …
You’ll also see his Mr. Dob characters.
They’re an alter ego to Murakami, complete with his signature bow tie. They personify Japan’s anime spirit, the fascination with everything cute.
KAWS
KAWS, born Brian Donnelly, is a major player in the world of contemporary art. He’s known for blending street art and pop culture into something bold, playful, and instantly recognizable.
Back when he was starting out, you could spot his tags on billboards and lampposts all over New York City.
These days, he’s creating sculptures, toys, and giant figures. He twists familiar characters into bright, bold mashups of color and line.
Out of all the characters KAWS has created, his Mickey Mouse inspired Companion sculpture is the most iconic.
The X-ed out eyes are one of KAWS’ signature trademarks. But they’re not tied to any single “official” meaning that the artist has publicly confirmed. They may be a symbol of emotional numbness, detachment, or even death or defeat.
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Basquiat was a street art prodigy whose raw, explosive style broke through every boundary.
His work dives deep into themes of identity, race, and social struggle, packing emotion into every brushstroke.
Basquiat’s rise from graffiti-splashed streets to international fame was fast, furious, and unforgettable. And MOCO has a strong selection of his paintings on display.
There’s an entire room filled with his untitled hand-pulled silk screens.
Stik
Stik is a British street artist best known for his minimalist stick figure characters. They somehow manage to be incredibly expressive despite their simple shapes.
Stik started painting murals illegally in London in the early 2000s, especially around East London neighborhoods like Hackney and Shoreditch.
His figures are usually just a few lines and dots: a round head, a couple of strokes for arms and legs.
But they carry deep emotion: loneliness, hope, fear, solidarity. Stik often paints them in urban spaces connected to social struggles, like housing rights, migration, or mental health.
Damien Hirst
Hirst is a British artist whose stock in trade is shock. Hirst likes to position himself as a super artist and speaker of deep truths.
But, it seems to me, he’s much better at self-publicity than actual art, hence his recent penchant for AI artworks.
You may recall that he’s most famously known for his dead tiger shark suspended in a tank, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living.
At Moco, you can see his diamond dust Mickey mounted in pride of place in the first floor foyer. In it, Hirst reduced one of the world’s most recognizable characters into simple geometric shapes.
It’s simultaneously playful and clinical. The diamond dust (glass shards) give it a glam look. What do you think, cheap cartoon or glittering global myth?
Keith Haring
Haring was a groundbreaking American artist known for his bold lines, bright colors, and energetic street-style figures.
He started with chalk drawings in New York’s subways. He turned simple shapes into powerful messages about life, love, and social justice.
Haring often used everyday symbols like the telephone in his art to reflect connection and communication. He believed art should be immediate and accessible. “Art is for everyone,” he said.
Unfortunately, most of the artist’s subway paintings haven’t survived. But you can 24 of them set into a single display at Moco.
1st Floor: Modern & Pop Art
Banksy Rooms
Banksy is one of the world’s most famous art mysteries. He’s an anonymous street artist known for sharp, politically charged art that cuts straight to the point.
His work gives a voice to the overlooked and Banksy isn’t afraid to take shots at authority. Moco was one of the first museums to dedicate a show to him.
Banksy uses quick stencils, bold images, and has a real knack for irony. The artist forces you to stop, think, and look twice. Dark humor and biting satire are his trademarks, and part of why his art hits so hard.
At Moco, there are two entire rooms dedicated to Banksy. You’ll see some of his well known images, but also some more unusual pieces.
I really liked Love Is in The Air (also called Flower Thrower). It flips rebellion on its head, swapping a Molotov cocktail for a burst of colorful flowers.
It’s a bold symbol of peace, defiance, and hope. And a giant F*** YOU to whatever you’re fighting against, whether it’s injustice, heartbreak, or your own past.
I also liked one of his lesser known works, Arrow Head. It’s an example of Banksy’s “corrupted” series in which he modifies found oil paintings.
The work has a 3D element, with the arrow protruding into the space in front of the painting. And, yes, you can even touch it. Or, as some did, take a selfie with it.
Robbie Williams
In a world that feels faster and more overwhelming every day, taking care of your mental health matters more than ever.
Williams’ Pride and Self-Prejudice series uses humor and honesty to dive into this gnarly topic. He explores self-doubt, self-worth, and what it means to truly accept yourself.
Through his pieces, the artist invites you to face your fears, own your insecurities, and celebrate every imperfect part of who you are.
Williams’ message is that self-loving angels kill inner demons. He wants you to know “you deserve every drop of love.”
Andy Warhol
Warhol was the Prince of Pop. He flipped the art world upside down by blending beauty, fame, and commercialism into his work.
Moco has an entire room with his artworks: Dollar Signs and Jackie Onassis and Marilyn Monroe silk screens.
Dollar Sign zeroes in on money — lots of it. Like much of Warhol’s art, it works on two levels: a flashy nod to wealth and a quieter jab at what society actually values.
Is luxury the goal, or just the illusion?
In his Retrospective Series, Warhol revisited his most famous images — Marilyn Monroe, Mao, Mona Lisa. But he altered them.
You can see his Marilyn in a black and white “X” formation. It was about fame fading, icons collapsing, and memory distorting over time. Like she was (bleh)an abandoned relic.
You can also see a grief stricken Jackie, a ghost after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. The Camelot days were well and truly over.
Kusama
Yayoi Kusama is one of the most iconic contemporary artists alive today. She’s often dubbed the “Princess of Polka Dots” by her adoring fans.
As a child, Kusama experienced vivid hallucinations, bursts of light and endless fields of dots. Turning to art as a form of release, she went on to inspire major Pop Art figures like Claes Oldenburg and Andy Warhol.
Today, she’s best known for her dazzling “infinity rooms,” immersive installations that regularly sell out months in advance.
But, in Dots Obsession, you can see her lifelong fascination with repetition in full force. She uses the polka dots to blur the boundaries between herself and the universe. To me, this artworks brings to mind her groundbreaking Infinity Net paintings that jumpstarted her career.
Digital Installations
Digital art and immersive technology are evolving fast, opening up new ways to experience and connect with art.
At Moco, at the moment, you can see the artists Andrés Reisinger and Studio Irma use light, color, and space to create multi-sensory environments that pull you in and make you part of the work.
These installations aren’t just something you look at. You feel, move through, and remember them.
Moco Garden
To polish off your visit, take a gander around the courtyard garden.
It’s a sweet, interactive sculpture-filled space where you can “ride” a rocking horse and lay down on a pink bed under metallic palm leaves.
Also check out the Vandal Gummy by Fidia. It’s a piece of Warhol-inspired pop art, reimagining a classic candy.
Another fun piece is Portrait. It’s an organic cork sculpture that propped atop a marble base. It’s covered in engraved wish pins, which you can move around.
Tips For Visiting Moco
Address:
Moco is housed in the historic Villa Alsberg on Museumplein at Honthorststraat 20, 1071 DE Amsterdam. It’s right next to the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, if you want to see other museums while you’re in the area.
Hours:
Moco is open daily from 9:00 am to 8:0 pm. You may want to go early or late to avoid crowds.
Tickets:
I would suggest pre-booking a timed entry ticket, which costs $21.95. Entry is also included in the Amsterdam Card. If tickets are sold out on the museum website, book a ticket on Get Your Guide for just a few dollars more.
Is Moco Worth Visiting?
Absolutely, especially if you’re a fan of modern and contemporary art.
Is it serious art? Sometimes. Is it fun? Always. To my mind, it’s not a pretentious place and can be enjoyed my anyone with an open mind.
I actually found it a more engaging and fun museum visit than the ridiculously crowded Rijksmuseum next door.
Another bonus? It’s a perfectly manageable size.
Think of it more like a quick, satisfying bite than a full five-course experience. You can easily explore everything in about in 1 to 1.5 hours.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to Moco Amsterdam. Pin it for later.
