Library & archive

The library is open for visit on Wednesday and Thursday from 11:00-13:00 and 14:00-17:00, no reservation needed. On those days, it is possible to reserve a place in the library's reading room for research. There, publications, documentation and files of Library and Archive can be consulted.

About the library

The Van Abbemuseum's library contains more than 140,000 titles: books, exhibition and collection catalogues, national and international (art) magazines, videos, CDs and DVDs. Our complete collection of books and publications can be accessed via the library catalogue on this website, or via this online platform where you can find even more details.

There is a particular focus within the collection on artists' books and publications on minimal art, conceptual art and fluxus. Publications are additionally complemented by invitations, posters and special editions.

Also special are the documentation archive on the art collection and the exhibition archive from 1936 onwards. Through purchases, donations and exchanges with other museums, we try to keep track of current developments in contemporary art. In exceptional cases, collections of external organisations are also given a place in the library's collections. An overview of new acquisitions can be found in our library catalogue.

Archive and library catalogue

The exhibition and management archives are part of the library. You will find a wealth of information on the museum's history from 1933 onwards. Via the library catalogue, you can consult all exhibitions or collection presentations since 1936 and download additional information (e.g. room overviews, press releases, fact sheets and leaflets). You can download a manual for its use. The management archives for the period 1933-1989 can be consulted in full via the library catalogue and media bank, as well as through the “Zoekwoorden"
(Keywords) option.