Van Abbemuseum: Collection as Cosmos

The Van Abbemuseum is the art museum of Eindhoven and one of the first public museums for contemporary art in Europe. Its collection of more than 3,400 works is shown in a new presentation, Collection as Cosmos, which offers a different perspective on time. Together with the redesigned ground floor, the Dommelplein, it is on view until 2030.

The collection

The museum was founded by Henri van Abbe, an Eindhoven cigar manufacturer who loved modern art, and opened in 1936. Since then, directors and curators have built a collection that is famous far beyond the Netherlands. Highlights include:

El Lissitzky: one of the largest collections of paintings by the Russian avant-garde artist in the world.
Pablo Picasso: including Femme en vert.
Marc Chagall: including Hommage à Apollinaire.
Oskar Kokoschka, Joseph Beuys, Marlene Dumas and many more, from classic modernism to contemporary art from different continents.

The museum is known for its critical and experimental approach. Rather than simply hanging masterpieces on the wall, it connects works from different times and places and asks questions about how we look at art, history and each other. Collection as Cosmos does exactly that, by inviting you to think about time in a new way.

The Dommelplein

The ground floor of the museum has been redesigned as the Dommelplein, a kind of indoor square named after the river that flows past the museum. Here you will find smaller exhibitions and projects, such as work by Ayoung Kim and John Gerrard, a presentation about the museum's colonial past, and the Feminist School of Painting by Ad Minoliti. Every day at 12:15 and 15:00 there is a free water ritual by the artist Sarkis.

The building

The building is worth the visit in itself. The original museum by Alexander Kropholler, from 1936, is a symmetrical series of galleries built with the sun in mind. In 2003 Queen Beatrix opened the extension by Abel Cahen, with its 27-metre tower. Walking from the old to the new building, you experience almost a century of museum architecture.

Opening hours and tickets

Open: Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 17:00. Closed on Mondays and on a few public holidays.
Adults: €16.
Students, CJP card and Teacher Card holders: €8.
Children under 13: free.
Family pass (2 adults and up to 3 children): €32.
Free: with a Museumkaart, and for everyone on Tuesdays from 15:00 to 17:00.

Temporary exhibitions

Next to the collection, the museum shows temporary exhibitions. From 17 October 2026 to 21 February 2027 you can see Museum as Sundial, which treats the old building as a giant sundial.

For families and newcomers

Children under 13 go free, and there is a Children's Art Club for ages 6 to 12 on Saturday afternoons, as well as a Family Art Club on the first Saturday of the month. The museum regularly organises a Newcomers Event for people who have just moved to the region. Texts and tours are available in English.

Accessibility

The museum is accessible for wheelchairs, mobility scooters and walkers, and two wheelchairs are available on request (reserve by e-mail).

Getting there

The Van Abbemuseum is at Stratumsedijk 2, about fifteen minutes' walk from Eindhoven Centraal. The bus stop Bilderdijklaan is a minute away, and there is bike parking next to the main entrance. Car parks at the Stadhuisplein, the Stadskantoor and the Heuvel are within five minutes' walk.

See our museums guide and all culture and exhibitions in Eindhoven.