Museum Kranenburgh

About the museum

Museum Kranenburgh was founded in 1993 and initially moved into the villa Huize Kranenburgh. In 2013 a large new wing by the architect Dirk Jan Postel was added. The museum lies in the artists' village of Bergen, whose landscape of polders, dunes, forest and beach has attracted many painters and poets since the beginning of the 20th century.

The core of the collection is the art of the Bergense School, which emerged around 1915 around the French painter Henri Le Fauconnier and is regarded as Dutch Expressionism. Important names are Leo Gestel, Jan Sluijters, Charley Toorop and Else Berg; after 1940 the COBRA movement with Lucebert shaped the place. There are also photographs by Eva Besnyö and works by contemporary artists such as Claudy Jongstra, Folkert de Jong or Lara Schnitger. The museum also manages the collections of the municipality of Bergen and the Noordhollands Kunstcentrum.

There is no permanent collection display; the exhibitions change every six months and also show pieces from the museum's own holdings. The garden contains sculptures, including a bird by Lucebert, hares by Iris Le Rütte and a rope bridge by Chiel Kuijl. The organisation also looks after the historic museum Het Sterkenhuis in Bergen.

Highlights

• Core collection of the Bergense School with Gestel, Sluijters and Toorop
• Sculpture garden with works by Lucebert, Iris Le Rütte and Atelier Van Lieshout
• New wing by Dirk Jan Postel (2013)
• Photographs by Eva Besnyö of the artists' community in Bergen
• Studio C, the creative workshop for children and families
• Museum café with a terrace in the garden

Permanent exhibition

• Beeldentuin – Sculpture garden with abstract and figurative works on the theme of Bergen and nature, including by Lucebert, Iris Le Rütte, herman de vries and Atelier Van Lieshout.

Founded

1993

Visitors per year

approx. 70,000

Admission & discounts

Free with Museumkaart, ICOM card, Vrienden Kranenburgh and Rembrandtpas. Tickets online or at the ticket desk; non-refundable. The museum is "pin-only": card payment only at the ticket desk, in the café and in the shop. The Museumkaart is available at the ticket desk.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• 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

Easily accessible for people with physical disabilities: lifts, wheelchair-accessible toilet and two accessible parking spaces right next to the entrance.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

In the Studio C education workshop, children craft and paint after visiting the exhibition; workshops for 5- to 12-year-olds take place on selected Sundays and during the holidays (registration often required).

Getting there & parking

The museum has only a few parking spaces; two spaces for visitors with disabilities are right at the entrance.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Museum café with coffee, cake, lunch dishes and snacks, and in good weather a terrace in the sculpture garden. Museum shop (Tue–Sun 10:30 am–5 pm) and web shop; also an art lending service (Kunstuitleen) for borrowing and buying art.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

The Tuinzaal can be rented for cultural events; catering, technology and furnishings by arrangement. Dinners in the sculpture garden are also possible.

Plan your visit