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.

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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.

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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.

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Works on tour

The Van Abbemuseum regularly loans artworks. To view the object lending procedure click here

These works from our collection can currently be seen in the following exhibitions:

Vater, Sohn, Heilige Geist by Anselm Kiefer

can be seen in exhibition: ANSELM KIEFER - ART AND MYTH

09/09/2010 - 09/01/2011

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark

Top Secret by Nedko Solakov

can be seen in exhibition: A PLACE OF HISTORY.

09/09/2010 - 13/02/2011

Museo Tamayo, Mexico, Mexico

 Collector's Complex by Thomas Schütte

can be seen in exhibition: THOMAS SCHÜTTE

15/07/2010 - 01/11/2010

Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepubliek Deutschland, Bonn, Germany

int.al.Structuur XXXVII 

by Peter Struycken

can be seen at exhibition: KLEUR

27/03/2010 - 12/09/2010

Designhuis, Eindhoven, NL

 Macht der Musik by Oskar Kokoschka

can be seen at exhibition: Jubiläumausstellung 450 Jahre Kunstsammlungen Dresden

18/04/2010 - 07/11/2010

Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Dresden, Germany

Virtues and Vices (for Giotto) by John Baldessari

can be seen at exhibition John Baldessari: Pure Beauty.

20/06/2010 - 12/09/2010

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, USA

Sand in Vaseline by Edward Ruscha

can be seen at exhibition Ed Ruscha; Fifty years of painting

25/05/2010 - 05/09/2010

Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Zweden

 Peinture by Sam Francis

can be seen at exhibition Monet and Abstraction

16/06/2010 - 26/09/2010

Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris, France

Projects by Rodney Graham

can be seen at exhibition Through the wood.

12/06/2010 - 26/09/2010

Kunstmuseum Basel, Basel, Swiss

The newests acquisitions

Chto Delat, Angry Sandwichpeople or In a Praise of Dialectics, 2006

Chto Delat, Perestroika-Songspiel. The Victory over the Coup, 2008

Yael Bartana, Mary Koszmary, 2007

watch video

Mladen Stilinovic, Exploitation of Dead, 1983-1990

Chto Delat,  Activist Club, 2009

Marjetica Potrc, New Orleans: Shotgun House with Rainwater-Harvesting Tank, 2008

Surasi Kusolwong, FeetBall Rietveld Table, 2008

 

Van Abbemuseum | Bilderdijklaan 10 | 5611 NH Eindhoven | Netherlands | t +31 40 238 10 00 | f +31 40 246 06 80 | e info[at]vanabbemuseum.nl | Disclaimer | Colofon

Opening times: Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 17:00. The museum is closed on Monday, with the exception of public holidays. The museum is closed on New Year's Day, Christmas Day and Queens Day. The Van Abbemuseum is open until 21:00 on Thursday evenings, admission to the museum is free from 17:00 on those nights. The museum cafe is also open until 21:00 on Thursday evenings.