Modern art museum Netherlands
Do you remember that feeling from your childhood? Everything around you seemed so much bigger than it does now, and so much more impressive. At the Kröller-Müller Museum, you can relive that feeling. Here, you stand face to face with the life’s work of some of the greatest figures in modern art, from Vincent van Gogh to Piet Mondrian. Wander through the sculpture garden, feel small as you walk past the imposing sculptures and be amazed, just as you were back then.
What is modern art?
Modern art refers to art movements from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. Artists experiment with new materials, styles and subjects, and break with traditional forms and techniques. The focus shifts from realistic depictions to the expression of emotions, ideas and abstraction. Artists such as Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, and Piet Mondrian play an important role in the movement. Cubism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism emerged during this time. Modern art prompts the viewer to think and allows room for various interpretations. As a result, it is not always about what you see, but about the message or feeling the artist wishes to convey.
Piet Mondriaan, Composition with red, yellow and blue, 1927
Piet Mondriaan, Composition 10 in Black and White, 1915
Large collection of modern paintings and modern sculpture
The Kröller-Müller Museum boasts an extensive collection of primarily 19th- and 20th-century visual art, comprising some 20,000 modern paintings and sculptures. This makes the museum one of the largest in this field and a leading museum of modern art in the Netherlands. Our collection includes masterpieces by great masters and influential artists, which you can admire all year round. Would you like to take a sneak peek? You’ll find almost all of them in our collection, and you can see which artworks are currently on display.
Take inspiration from the modern sculptures in our sculpture garden
The Kröller-Müller has one of the largest sculpture gardens in Europe. The sculpture garden is situated in a very special place: in the heart of nature in the Hoge Veluwe. Stroll past the more than 200 sculptures by great artists such as Aristide Maillol, Marta Pan, Jean Dubuffet, and Barbara Hepworth. But you will also come across the pavilions by Aldo van Eyck and Gerrit Rietveld while you explore the sculpture garden. Do you want to unwind for a moment? Enjoy a picnic together or relax on the grass while you take in the beautiful modern sculpture and all the sounds of nature.
Always new exhibitions of modern art
Are you a true fan of modern abstract art, figurative art or realistic art? Then you’ll never tire of what we have to offer. We host surprising exhibitions all year round.
The exhibition Isaac Israels’ Europe takes you on a journey across Europe together with Isaac Israels. The Dutch artist travelled for almost his entire life, even during the First World War. He records the impressions he gathers in paintings and drawings, ranging from European street and beach life to the situation of migrants at that time. The exhibition runs from 24 April to 30 August 2026.
Highlights: the best modern works at the Kröller-Müller Museum
We’d like to highlight a few works of art that you definitely won’t want to miss during your visit to the museum.
Rietveld Pavilion
In the mid-1950s, Gerrit Rietveld surprises the international art and architecture world with this pavilion. He designs it for the International Sculpture Exhibition in the Open Air Sonsbeek '55 in Arnhem. The Rietveld Pavilion houses smaller sculptures and immediately attracts attention. The architecture and the sculptures complement each other. In the summer of 2026, you will see 16 sculptures by Ruud Kuijer in the pavilion.
Aldo van Eyck Pavilion
In 1965–66 the Dutch architect Aldo van Eyck designed a temporary pavilion for the 5th International Sculpture Exhibition Sonsbeek ’66 in Arnhem. The pavilion has been rebuilt in our sculpture garden. Circles and curves play an important role in Van Eyck’s work. This is also reflected in the building. Six parallel walls of breeze blocks form a series of corridors. Semi-circular spaces have been created within these. Light filters in through the transparent roof.
Gerrit Rietveld, Rietveld Pavilion, 1954-1955 (rebuilt in 1964-1965 and 2010)
Fernand Léger – Soldiers Playing Cards
Inspired by the work of Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, Fernand Léger starts working in a Cubist style. He depicts objects using shapes such as a cone, a sphere or a cylinder. For Soldiers Playing Cards, he draws on his own experiences of his time in the army during the First World War. The soldiers he paints are not people of flesh and blood, but resemble robots. The repetition of elements in the work is reminiscent of the machinery of war.
Vincent van Gogh – Terrace of a Café at Night
One of the most famous artists in modern art is Vincent van Gogh. His sunflower paintings are world-renowned, but every lover of modern art is also familiar with his work Terrace of a Café at Night. Van Gogh had long wanted to paint a nocturnal scene, but one full of colour. The warm yellows, greens and oranges stand out sharply against the deep blue of the starry sky. Van Gogh painted the work on location and in the dark, by the light of a gas lamp. He did this because colours look different during the day than they do at night. An unusual approach, which is consistent with the experimental nature of modern painting.
Terrace of a Café at Night (Place du Forum) by Vincent van Gogh is not on display at the Kröller-Müller Museum until September 2026. The painting has been loaned for a major Van Gogh exhibition in Japan.
The Futurist collection
Helene Kröller-Müller's art collection was large and diverse, but she did not collect artworks by Futurist artists. She overlooked Futurism, even though it was an important innovative movement of the early twentieth century. Later, she deeply regretted this. To fill this gap in the collection, works by Giacomo Balla and Umberto Boccioni, among others, were acquired in the 1970s. In recent years, the Futurist collection has been further expanded with works by Oleksandr Bohomazov, Jules Schmalzigaug and others.
Umberto Boccioni, Forme uniche della continuità nello spazio, 1913
De Stijl collection
The Kröller-Müller Museum is a treasure trove of artworks from De Stijl. This art movement originated in the Netherlands in 1917. De Stijl is characterised by abstract and geometric designs, primary colours (red, blue and yellow) supplemented with non-colours (black, white and grey). The compositions of De Stijl also frequently feature asymmetry and horizontal and vertical elements. This art movement had a major influence on modern art and architecture, and is an important movement in art history. The museum houses masterpieces by artists including Piet Mondrian, Bart van der Leck, Theo van Doesburg and Gerrit Rietveld.
Piet Mondriaan, Compositie no. II, 1913
Plan your visit
Are you planning to visit the museum? Then book your museum ticket online in advance. That saves you time. The museum is situated in the heart of De Hoge Veluwe National Park. You can buy a combined day ticket and enjoy art and nature all day long. We are open all year round from Tuesday to Sunday. During school holidays, you are also welcome on Mondays. Would you prefer to visit at a quieter time? Then plan your visit for a weekday afternoon. There are usually fewer visitors in the museum after 14.00 hrs.
FAQs
About the collection
What can you expect from our permanent collection at the museum? You’ll discover masterpieces by artists including Vincent van Gogh and Piet Mondriaan. Start in the sculpture gallery and then wander through Helene Kröller-Müller’s collection: from old masters to modern art. In the Van Gogh Gallery, you’ll see dozens of Van Gogh paintings, while movements such as De Stijl and Futurism are also featured extensively. Thus, you will gain a clear overview of 19th- and 20th-century art in a single visit.
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