It features artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Jackson Pollock, Karel Appel, Andy Warhol, Willem de Kooning, Marlene Dumas, Lucio Fontana, and Gilbert & George.

[9] Specifically, it was built under the Vereeniging tot het Vormen van een Verzameling van Hedendaagsche Kunst (VVHK, Society for the formation of a public collection of contemporary art), which was founded in 1874, to house de Bruyn's collection of art and antiques that she donated to the city along with a considerable sum of money.

These four figures oversaw all art purchases for the museum, notably works of Hague and Amsterdam Impressionism and pieces by international contemporaries.

By 1962, the VVHK handed over most of its collection, including works by George Hendrik Breitner, Paul Cézanne, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Gustave Courbet, Vincent van Gogh, and Johan Jongkind.

The collection includes seminal photographers of both the Dutch and international avant-garde in the interbellum period (such as Erwin Blumenfeld, László Moholy-Nagy and Man Ray), an extensive selection of post-war Dutch photographers (including Eva Besnyö, Ed van der Elsken and Cas Oorthuys), artist portraits, photojournalism, and autonomous fine art photography from the 1970s onward.

[9] During World War II, the Stedelijk collection and that of the Amsterdam Museum were transferred for safekeeping to a bunker in the sand-hills near Santpoort.

During this time, the Stedelijk also acquired artworks by De Stijl and related international movements such as Russian Constructivism and Bauhaus.

[9] In the early 1970s, the museum made its first acquisitions of video art by European artists including Dibbets and Gilbert & George.

At the end of 2003, the Adriaan Willem Weissman building was closed at the insistence of the fire department; renovation work began.

It became a more businesslike enterprise that leases the museum building from the city and, on behalf of the council, mounts exhibitions and manages, maintains, and adds to the municipal collection.

In response to this, the museum started the "Stedelijk goes to Town" project to maintain a visual presence within the city of Amsterdam while the building was being renovated.

The artists included in this inaugural show were James Beckett, Eric Bell and Kristoffer Frick, Rossella Biscotti, Eglé Budvytyté, Jeremiah Day, Christian Friedrich, Sara van der Heide, Suchan Kinoshita, Susanne Kriemann, Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Snejanka Mihaylova, Rory Pilgrim, Falke Pisano, Julika Rudelius, Fiona Tan, Jennifer Tee, Jan van Toorn, Vincent Vulsma and Andros Zins-Browne.

On 21 March 1986, Gerard Jan van Bladeren cut the painting Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue III (1967) by Barnett Newman with a utility knife during a psychotic episode.

The three paintings Vase with Carnations (1886) by Vincent van Gogh, Street in Nevers (1874) by Johan Jongkind, and Still life with bottles and apples by Paul Cézanne were stolen during a break-in.

[22] Despite these issues, the city government of Amsterdam has stated that it will still consider using the Museum Square as a potential location for large events.

Key pieces by Post-Impressionists Paul Cézanne and Vincent van Gogh exemplify art from the late 19th century.

The collection is sub-divided into the following disciplines: In early 2010, the Stedelijk Museum partnered up with design agency Fabrique and augmented reality firm Layar to develop virtual art tours called "ARtours".

Using smartphone technology, visitors are treated to additional stories and images about the collection both inside the museum and outside around the city.

In the final phase of this project at the end of 2011, the public was invited to add their own stories, images, and other information through the open source platform.

[25] In 2018, a mural created by Keith Haring in 1986 on the Stedelijk Museum's storage facility was revealed after being covered by sheets of aluminum a few years after its completion.

The design of the upper façade and tower in a combination of pale stone and red brick give the exterior of the building a 16th-century Dutch Neo-Renaissance look.

In 1934, Baard turned the loggia above the museum's main entrance into an exhibition space and had several galleries repainted in light colors.

[27] A competition to renovate the museum was first held in the early 1990s, with Robert Venturi beating Rem Koolhaas, Wim Quist, and Carel Weeber to the job.

[28] When the Post-CS location was closed in 2008, a book called "Stedelijk Museum CS – Prospect/Retrospect" was published to commemorate some of the successful expositions and artists during this period, like Andy Warhol and Rineke Dijkstra.

[28] After further discussions about whether to relocate the contemporary art museum to an Amsterdam park, a new jury eventually awarded Benthem Crouwel Architects the renovation and construction contract for their design for the new building, referred to as "The Bathtub".

Although the renovated original building was completed in early 2010, conditions were not suitable for exhibiting artworks because there was no climate control system, which was to be installed in the new wing.

A campaign by Dutch cultural entrepreneur Otto Nan, "Stedelijk Do Something", urged people to text their disappointment about the delays.

The new wing consists of a large glassed entrance, which opens onto the Museum Square, and galleries for temporary exhibitions on the upper level and in the basement.

[37] Armand Mevis and Linda van Deursen redesigned the logo and visual identity of the museum in 2012, which was gradually unveiled with its re-opening on 23 September 2012.