MuseumsAtlasDiscover museums worldwide.
Currency
Museum Cobra in Amstelveen
Photo: Shirley de Jong · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Museum Cobra

Art museum in Amstelveen devoted to the postwar Cobra movement around Karel Appel, Constant, and Asger Jorn – with links to contemporary art.

Opening hoursAdmission from €20 Wheelchair accessible Café

Current exhibitions

April 24, 2026 – November 8, 2026

Andy Warhol, The Textiles

More than 60 textile designs that Warhol created for fashion and interiors in the 1950s and early 1960s, before his Pop Art breakthrough – shown for the first time in the Netherlands, in collaboration with the Fashion and Textile Museum London.

April 24, 2026 – November 8, 2026

Wilde rokken. Cobra-kunst als textiel

Fabrics based on designs by Constant, Corneille, Anton Rooskens, Karel Appel, and Anne Bonnet, produced by Dutch printers after the war – from initial ridicule to success as a symbol of modern living.

November 21, 2026 – April 4, 2027

Pat Oleszko: Fool Disclosure

The US performance artist's first solo exhibition in Europe, with large inflatable sculptures, costumes, films, and photos, developed by SculptureCenter New York.

About the museum

The museum opened in Amstelveen on November 8, 1995 – 47 years to the day after the founding of the Cobra artists' group, formed in Paris on November 8, 1948, by painters and poets from Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam. The core of the collection was the private collection of Karel van Stuijvenberg; since then the holdings have grown through purchases, gifts, and long-term loans.

The light-filled building on the Sandbergplein in the center of Amstelveen was designed by the architect Wim Quist; large windows open the galleries to the city. The museum has a sculpture garden designed by Shinkichi Tajiri, and since 2001 a fountain created especially for the site by Karel Appel has stood in front of the entrance.

In the 21st century the museum increasingly linked Cobra art with contemporary positions, for example through the Cobra Kunstprijs Amstelveen, awarded between 2005 and 2017. Since October 2024 the museum, which now calls itself simply Museum Cobra, has been directed by Suzanne Wallinga. In 2025 it welcomed just over 60,000 visitors.

Since May 2026 the redesigned collection presentation “Cobra: More than Human” has shown works by Appel, Constant, Corneille, Jorn, and Alechinsky alongside long-overlooked members such as Sonja Ferlov Mancoba, Ernest Mancoba, and Else Alfelt, as well as present-day artists. It is complemented by temporary exhibitions on 20th- and 21st-century art and a library of Cobra publications.

Highlights

  • Collection on the Cobra artists' group (1948–1951) with paintings, sculptures, and publications
  • Works by Karel Appel, Constant, Corneille, Asger Jorn, and Pierre Alechinsky
  • Collection presentation “Cobra: More than Human” in a room design inspired by New Babylon
  • Fountain sculpture “The Fountain” by Karel Appel in front of the entrance
  • Sculpture garden designed by Shinkichi Tajiri
  • Open studio Atelier Cobra for children and adults

Permanent exhibitions

  • Cobra: More than Human – New collection presentation on the first floor without a fixed route, combining Cobra classics with rarely shown members and works by present-day artists such as Kasper Akhøj and Mikhail Karikis.
Founded
1995
Operated by
Stichting Cobra Museum voor Moderne Kunst Amstelveen
Director
Suzanne Wallinga
Visitors per year
approx. 60,142 (2025)

Admission & discounts

Adults€20
Reduced€12.50Holders of a CJP card or student ID (up to age 27)
Children & teens€7.50free up to age 4 · Up to age 4 free; ages 5 to 17: €7.50
Seniors–No senior discount on the price list; members of the Amstelring Ledenservice pay €10
Visitors with disabilities–companion free · Companions of people with disabilities admitted free (book a free companion ticket online)
Students & apprentices€12.50With student ID or CJP up to age 27
Groups–Self-guided group visit by booking; guided tour €100 per group (max. 15 adults) plus admission, €10 surcharge for a tour in another language
Combination ticket with Museum JAN€25

Free admission: Free on Wednesdays for Amstelveen residents with the Cobra Pas Amstelveen

Free with the Museumkaart; also free with the VriendenLoterij VIP card, Stadspas Amsterdam, I amsterdam City Card, Rembrandtkaart, ICOM, AICA, Amstelveenpas, school voucher, and for friends and patrons of the museum. Journalists free by prior registration only.

Accessibility

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

Elevator and a restroom suitable for wheelchairs and rollators, usable independently. Two rollators and one wheelchair can be borrowed free of charge at the ticket desk (reserve in advance via info@cobra-museum.nl or +31 20 547 5050). Accessible parking space on the opposite side of the square; approach via the Keizer Karelweg toward the Stadsschouwburg parking garage and turn around there. Assistance dogs on a leash welcome. Awarded the International Symbol of Access (ITS), Toegankelijkheidsprijs (accessibility award) 2009.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

Kids’ admissionfree up to age 4
  • Family tours & workshops
  • Stroller-friendly

Atelier Cobra, free for museum visitors: Wednesdays 13:00–16:00 and Sundays 11:00–14:00 for children (as a “Pop Art Factory” with buttons and fabric printing during the Warhol exhibition), Fridays for adults. Holiday programs during the May and summer holidays. Strollers and buggies allowed.

Getting there & parking

By public transit

Busstation Amstelveen · 2-min walk

Numerous Connexxion bus lines to Busstation Amstelveen (2-minute walk); the nearest tram stop is about 10 minutes away.

By car

Paid parking

Paid Stadsplein parking garage right next to the museum (GPS: Stadsplein 101, Amstelveen); the Handelsplein parking garage, about a 5-minute walk through the Stadshart shopping center, is cheaper.

  • Accessible parking

By bike, about half an hour from central Amsterdam (via the Olympisch Stadion and Amstelveenseweg). Because of construction work on the A9 and the Beneluxbaan, the trip by car may take longer.

Get directions

Amenities & dining

  • Café
  • Museum shop
  • Coat check
  • Lockers

Café Cobra with homemade broodjes (sandwiches) and pastries, with a terrace in summer (Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00); museum shop. Large bags are not allowed in the galleries and do not fit in the cloakroom or lockers; bags up to about A4 size are permitted.

Events & venue rental

  • Spaces for rent
  • Corporate events

Voordrachtzaal and Boekerij available daily for private events; on Mondays and in the evenings the entire museum can be rented, for example for receptions, presentations, or dinners in the galleries. In-house catering. Contact: zaalverhuur@cobra-museum.nl, +31 20 547 5051.

Inquiries & details

Plan your visit

Guided toursyes · approx. 60 min
School programsyes
Good to knowGuided tours on request via activiteiten@cobra-museum.nl or +31 20 547 5031: art history tour, “Slow Art Walk” (1 hour each, €100 plus admission, max. 15 people), or an exclusive tour with a curator. School programs for all school types with tours and workshops.

Museums nearby