Independent museum of international contemporary art in a former wool-spinning mill in Tilburg – with works by Kapoor, Dumas, Turrell, and Laib.
September 20, 2026 – February 28, 2027
More than 50 works from three decades showing Polke's experiments with lacquers, pigments, and resins from the 1980s onward; created in collaboration with the Anna Polke-Stiftung.
September 20, 2026 – February 28, 2027
Sculptures, reliefs, and works on paper by the American artist, who shapes materials such as aluminum, plaster, and bronze so that hard things appear fragile and delicate things look industrial.
September 20, 2026 – February 28, 2027
New video work by the duo about the German hardcore and straight-edge scene, combined with an earlier work about Brazilian brega music.
March 21, 2027 – September 5, 2027
Major show by the French artist with recent photo-and-text works not previously shown in the Netherlands; in collaboration with the Louisiana Museum and Turner Contemporary.
March 21, 2027 – September 5, 2027
Four new film installations by the artist about death, grief, and memory, inspired by her grandmother on Curaçao and journeys to Ghana.
The museum goes back to Tilburg lawyer and entrepreneur Jan de Pont (died 1987), who left part of his fortune to promote contemporary art. He left it to the board of the new foundation to decide how and where this should happen. The choice fell on his hometown: in the 1960s, De Pont had helped get the bankrupt Thomas de Beer wool-spinning mill back on its feet. When the business closed for good in 1989, the foundation took over the 1930s factory building for a symbolic sum – along with four of the last employees. Hendrik Driessen became the first director.
The firm Benthem Crouwel converted the mill in a year and a half while preserving its character: a large hall lit through sawtooth roofs and small former wool storage rooms ("wolhokken") for focused presentations. The conversion is considered one of the inspirations for Tate Modern in London. On September 12, 1992, the museum opened with around ten works by just three artists, including Richard Long's stone circle and Marlene Dumas's "The First People." An auditorium and a project room were added in 2002, and in 2016 a wing for photography, video, and media installations, along with the museum café by the museum garden.
To this day, De Pont remains financially independent of funds and public money and collects in depth rather than breadth: it aims to own at least one key work by each artist, and many artists are followed over the years. The collection now includes more than 1,000 works by around 100 artists, among them Anish Kapoor, Marlene Dumas, Richard Serra, James Turrell, and Wolfgang Laib. Several artists, such as Luc Tuymans, Roni Horn, and Berlinde De Bruyckere, had their first major exhibition in the Netherlands here. Maria Schnyder has been director since 2026.
| Adults | €20 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €6.50Members of the Vereniging Rembrandt |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 26 · Free admission for everyone up to and including age 26. |
| Students & apprentices | –Free up to and including age 26. |
| Groups (15+ people) | –Reservations are required for groups of 15 or more (with or without a guided tour). |
Free admission: Free admission for everyone every Thursday 17:00–20:00 (reservation requested).
Free with the Museumkaart; likewise with the CJP and ICOM card. The Museumkaart is available at the ticket desk and online. The VriendenLoterij VIP card is not valid.
Spacious museum on one level; since it is housed in an old factory, not all rooms are equally accessible – Wolfgang Laib's "Wax Room" and James Turrell's "Wedgework III" are harder to reach for people with disabilities. Wheelchairs, rollators, and folding stools free of charge at the ticket desk (register in advance by email); small scooters allowed. Two accessible restrooms. Two accessible parking spaces on municipal property about 100 m from the main entrance, behind the white building to the left of the museum parking lot (cannot be reserved). KNGF assistance dogs with ID welcome; register other assistance dogs in advance by email.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 26 |
|---|
Free "BubbelToer" at the ticket desk: an explorer kit for children ages 7 to 12 accompanied by an adult, with questions and tasks leading to works such as Kapoor's "Vertigo," Schütte's "Große Geister," and Marien Schouten's "Groene Kamer"; with a small souvenir. Free admission up to age 26, including for young companions. Museum garden to explore.
Textielmuseum
From Tilburg station, bus 5 toward Noord-Stokhasselt to the Textielmuseum stop, or bus 7 toward West ETZ Tweesteden to the Kwaadeindstraat stop. A 15-minute walk from Tilburg station (north exit, via Burgemeester Brokxlaan and Gasthuisring along the Wilhelminapark).
Paid parking
Museum parking lot for 20 cars, day ticket €5 (card payment at the exit terminal or exit ticket at the ticket desk). Paid parking in the surrounding area; the Knegtel and Spoorzone-Zwijsen parking garages are each less than 10 minutes' walk away.
GPS address: Wilhelminapark 1, Tilburg. Unattended bike racks at the museum, free attended bike parking in the Spoorzone-Zwijsen parking garage; also reachable by bike taxi.
Get directionsMuseum café in the middle of the museum with a terrace by the museum garden (lunch with regional products), open to museum visitors without reservation 11:00–16:45, Thursdays until 19:45; kitchen open until 15:30 (Thu until 19:00). The garden can only be reached via the café terrace. Freely accessible museum shop with books, catalogs, and design items. Coats, backpacks, bags, umbrellas, and items larger than A3 must go in the free lockers or the unattended coat check.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours for groups (up to 20 people per guide) of the collection or temporary exhibitions, 60 or 90 minutes, €95 per hour plus admission; book up to two weeks in advance, in Dutch or English. On Thursdays, free "FlitsToer" (30 minutes, 18:00 and 18:30 from the ticket desk, no registration). Programs for elementary and secondary schools (including Club Zien for vmbo, pre-vocational secondary education) and for university students. |
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