Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam: a new perspective on the Dutch artist Visitors now begin their visit with a room devoted to 12 self portraits by Van Gogh before heading upstairs to view the collection in chronological order - from early paintings such as The Potato Eaters (1885), to his first experiments with Impressionism and Pointillism. The bulk of the works on display are from the hugely productive, if troubled years he spent in the South of France, in Arles and St Remy, and the last few months before his suicide in Auvers-sur-Oise, north of Paris in July 1890. Highlights in addition to the self-portraits include some of his most iconic works - one of the sunflower paintings of 1889, The Yellow House, The Bedroom, Irises, Almond Blossom, Wheatfields with Crows, and The Sower. This is the penultimate painting of the permanent exhibition. The last is Study for a Portrait of Van Gogh by Francis Bacon - the first of what will be a changing display of a major works inspired by Vincent. Other key changes at the museum include a new, subtler background colour scheme, which is intended to reflect the themes in the display rooms - previously all the museum walls were painted white. There are also installations aimed at families and children - real birds nests next to a painting of the same, for example. And more technology has been introduced to reveal the results of technical research. A computer screen by The Bedroom shows how the colours may have faded, turning what was probably once an evening scene into a daytime one. The new presentation has re-organised Van Gogh's work over all four floors of the museum (Photo: Getty) During the opening ceremony, Vincent Willem Van Gogh, the artist's great great nephew, recalled growing up during the 1960s with the original paintings hanging on the walls of the family home - Sunflowers and Almond Blossom were in the sitting rom, while The Yellow House was hung above his father's bed - occasionally at risk from pillow fights. The new presentation of the Van Goghs is not only an outstanding success, but with the re-opening of the Rijksmuseum last year, and the Stedelijk Museum of modern and contemporary art in 2012, it completes a spectacular renaissance in Amsterdam's museums and galleries. Van Gogh Museum: open daily 9am-5pm (10pm Fridays); admission 15 euros (free for under 18s, but no other concessions); vangoghmuseum.nl. A golden age at the Hermitage Amsterdam Also soon to open at Hermitage Amsterdam is an exhibition of rarely-seen group portraits from the 17th-century - the "Golden Age" of Dutch art, and the genre in which Rembrandt was working when he painted the Night Watch. Portrait Gallery of the Golden Age opens on November 29 and runs until the end of 2016. Open daily, 10am-5pm; portraitgalleryofthegoldenage.com. For more information on Amsterdam see our expert guide, or visit holland.com