TAKE A GUIDED TOUR

The range of guided tours which we can offer will help make you better acquainted with our museum. Let us guide you around the most cherished works in the museum and tell you more about the building’s fascinating architecture. The Van Abbemuseum organizes three types of guided tour: an architectural tour of the new building, an art tour covering the highlights of our collection and special projects, and a tour of the current main exhibition.

Free guided tours take place on Sundays at 12.00. The tour on the first Sunday of the month focuses on the architecture of the building, while those on other Sundays concentrate on our collection and exhibitions. These tours are intended for individuals rather than groups. To take part, you may reserve a place for a maximum of two people at the museum reception desk on the day of the tour. The maximum total size of the tour group is 20 people. Please note that although tour is free of charge, the normal charge for museum admission applies.

Art tour

The Van Abbemusum is the only museum in the Netherlands to concentrate exclusively on modern and contemporary art from the 20th and 21st centuries. Since it opened in 1936, the museum has built up an impressive collection of over 2,700 works of art. The Van Abbemuseum has the largest El Lissitzky collection outside Russia, a collection which forms a continual source of inspiration for new exhibitions. The museum also possesses masterpieces by renowned artists such as Picasso, Chagall, Beuys, Weiner, Gordon, McCarthy, Sasnal, Bartana and Žmijevski.

The art tours will introduce you to the finest works in the collection and acquaint you with some less well-known but significant works of art, also within the exhibitions of guest artists.

Special tours of main exhibitions

Every year, the Van Abbemuseum’s Old Building presents a substantial group exhibition with an emphasis on political, economic and social issues. The guided tour will acquaint you with the background and individual impact of the works shown and with connections between them.

Architecture tour

The Van Abbemuseum, founded in 1936, is now one of the Netherlands’ most spectacular museum designs. The existing building, an architectural monument by the architect A.J. Kropholler, was entirely renovated and integrated into the new structure by the architect Abel Cahen. The result is a large, architecturally impressive complex which represents a significant contribution to international museum architecture.

The core of the new Van Abbemuseum consists of a 27-metre tall tower with sloping walls. The ample staircases and a musical lift are also striking vertical features. The seemingly labyrinthine character of the museum interior produces a diversity of contexts for small-scale, intimate displays, for large exhibitions and for monumental installations. The architecture tour will give you a detailed impression of the structure of the Van Abbemuseum building and the possibilities this contemporary architecture offers for innovative museum presentation formats.

Reservations

Art, architecture and exhibition tours for groups must be booked two weeks in advance. The cost per guide is EUR 70 on Tuesday–Friday, 11.00 to 17.00. An evening tour is available on Thursdays from 17.00 to 21.00 at a cost of EUR 100 per guide. Saturday and Sunday tours cost EUR 80 per guide. A maximum of 20 participants per guide applies to all tours. Each tour lasts one hour. To reserve, please call +31 (0)40 238 1042. You can also reserve places in the restaurant by calling +31 (0)40 238 1062.