THE COLLECTION

The Van Abbemuseum possesses a rich and diverse collection of close to 2700 works, one of the most important collections of modern and contemporary visual art in the Netherlands and abroad in the Flemish and German region.

The collection covers the period starting in 1900 and is composed of a number of well-developed ensembles, of which the Lissitsky collection is of major importance. The collection features a number of key artworks from Hommage à Appollinaire (1912) by Chagall, Die Macht der Musik (1918) by Kokoschka, the Prounenraum (1923, reconstruction 1971) by Lissitzky, the Beuys room from 1971 and the Tapis de Sable (1974) by Broodthaers to the installations Categorical Imperative and Morgue (1999) by Mike Kelley, Aktiengesellschaft (2002) by Maria Eichhorn, Piccadilly Circus (2003) by Paul McCarthy and Repetition (2005) by Artur Zmijewski.

Library and archives

We consider our archives and library collection a part of the museum collection. More and more, we are realising how important the information in our archives is for conducting research on the museum in general and the collection of art in particular, now and in the future. Living Archive, a series of documentary exhibitions that use the museum’s archives as an active working memory, emphasises that the idea of the archive is constantly present in the museum. The library collection mirrors the museum’s history, in terms of both its purchases and its own exhibitions.

Research

One of the museum’s key tasks is research. Over the next years, our research activities will centre around the museum as archive, new models and possibilities for collection forming and presentation, museums as ‘creative innovators’, studying the white cube, and other topics. The results will be presented through our own publications, exhibitions and collaborations with curators and museums worldwide.

Plug In
Re-imagining the collection

Taking the labyrinthine architecture of the new building of the Van Abbemuseum and the fragmented character of the art collection as our point of departure, we came up with a new, experimental presentation model called Plug In, which started in 2006. Until November 2009, the collection was exhibited in a series of separate, independent presentations that dared visitors to find their own way and make their own choices, giving imagination free reign.

The collection online

In this online archive, you will find information on 150 works from this impressive collection. You have several search options for exploring the archive and can obtain information on the artists, works, movements and styles. The documentation of these works is only the beginning of a major project to make the entire Van Abbemuseum collection accessible online.