B.C. Koekkoek-Haus

About the museum

The Dutch landscape painter Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (1803–1862), one of the most sought-after artists of his time, settled in Kleve and built a town palace here in 1848 in the style of the Italian Renaissance. He presented his paintings in the hall on the piano nobile, and with his students he shaped what became known as Kleve Romanticism.

At the end of the 19th century the property was divided: the studio tower passed into other hands, and the residential house went to the physician family van Ackeren in 1902, who added an extension in 1909 – whose entrance now serves as the museum entrance. After the Second World War the house was confiscated and temporarily served as the town hall. In 1956 the city of Kleve bought the palace and opened a municipal museum of art and cultural history there on May 10, 1960.

When the Museum Kurhaus Kleve opened in 1997, the NRW-Stiftung (foundation) acquired the building; together with the newly founded Stiftung B.C. Koekkoek-Haus, it turned it into a museum of Romanticism. The permanent exhibition shows works by Koekkoek, his Kleve students, and several generations of the painter family in the atmosphere of the original living rooms with furniture and personal belongings. Temporary exhibitions, salon concerts, and the historic garden, which is open on certain summer days, round out the offering.

Highlights

• Town palace from 1848 in the style of the Italian Renaissance
• Paintings and drawings by Barend Cornelis Koekkoek
• Works of Kleve Romanticism and the Koekkoek painter family
• Hall with a golden stucco ceiling on the piano nobile
• Historic garden with terrace and fountain

Permanent exhibitions

• Highlights der Sammlung – Dutch Romantic landscape painting with works by B.C. Koekkoek, his Kleve students, and the Koekkoek painter family, shown in the living rooms of the palace.

Founded

1960

Operated by

Stiftung B.C. Koekkoek-Haus

Director

Ursula Geisselbrecht-Capecki (Künstlerische Leiterin)

Admission & discounts

Free admission also for members of the Freundeskreis Museum Kurhaus und Koekkoek-Haus Kleve (friends' association), the Förderverein der NRW-Stiftung (friends' association), ICOM card holders, and members of the Verband der Restauratoren (association of restorers).

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Elevator (68 × 110 cm, max. 3 people) and accessible restrooms; the elevator is not suitable for electric wheelchairs, and the museum provides a suitable wheelchair. Accessible from Koekkoekplatz and from the Minoritenplatz parking lot.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 30 guests.

Civil and non-denominational wedding ceremonies as well as festive occasions with up to 30 guests in the hall on the piano nobile (hall rental €300); reception in the salons or, in good weather, on the terrace, grand piano available. Photo shoots in the rooms €80.

Plan your visit