The museum opened on June 2, 1973. It is located in buildings designed by Gerrit Rietveld and Kisho Kurokawa. The museum houses the largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings in the world. For the 35th anniversary of Sesamstraat, a special painting was unveiled on November 15, 2011. Based on Van Gogh's The Bedroom, it depicted Sesamstraat characters in the room, including Elmo, Tommie, Bert and Ernie. The painting was on display for two months and later auctioned for charity.