P.J.H. Cuypers (1827 - 1921. Marble. T. Dupuis, 1897. Cuypers is generally considered the first Dutch architect of international stature in modern times. It was he who introduced the Neo-Gothic style to Holland in the 1850s. He built countless Roman Catholic churches in this style. Cuypers came from Roermond. He settled in Amsterdam in 1865. Among his friends he included Jonkheer De Stuers, also from Limburg. Through this man's good offices Cuypers was able to enter the competition to produce a design for the new Rijksmuseum. Cuypers won the commission. The museum was opened in 1885. In 1859 Cuypers married the sister of writer and critic J.A. Alberdingk Thijm.