In 1908, Helene Kröller-Müller made the first purchases for her collection. In 2008, the museum can look back on an uninterrupted history of collection lasting 100 years, with contemporary art setting the standard for the purchases as it has from the outset, even in the cases of ‘old’ art. It was never the intention to create a collection that is an encyclopaedic summary of ‘the’ development of ‘all’ modern art. Over time, a highly diversified collection has taken shape, giving a clear picture of the development of modern art and articulating several visions on realistic art; a number of the main movements in post-war art, such as Arte Povera, Minimal Art and Conceptual Art are well represented, and many individual artists take up crucial positions. The collection’s unique character is further enhanced by its interaction with the sculpture garden. The collection of the Kröller-Müller Museum is an attractive complex combining works from different eras into a coherent whole, without surrendering their origins in a specific Zeitgeist.

In 1908, Helene Kröller-Müller made the first purchases for her collection. In 2008, the museum can look back on an uninterrupted history of collection lasting 100 years, with contemporary art setting the standard for the purchases as it has from the outset, even in the cases of ‘old’ art. It was never the intention to create a collection that is an encyclopaedic summary of ‘the’ development of ‘all’ modern art. Over time, a highly diversified collection has taken shape, giving a clear picture of the development of modern art and articulating several visions on realistic art; a number of the main movements in post-war art, such as Arte Povera, Minimal Art and Conceptual Art are well represented, and many individual artists take up crucial positions. The collection’s unique character is further enhanced by its interaction with the sculpture garden. The collection of the Kröller-Müller Museum is an attractive complex combining works from different eras into a coherent whole, without surrendering their origins in a specific Zeitgeist.