Archaeology and contemporary art: Drents Museum in Assen

Drents Museum

Assen

one of the biggest in the Netherlands

Archaeology collection

Exhibitions

Unique impressions at the Drents Museum in Assen

The Drents Museum in Assen is one of the most important attractions in the north of the Netherlands, and for good reason. With no fewer than 90,000 different objects, the museum can even consider itself one of the largest in the Netherlands. Indeed, due to the size and quality of its archaeology collection, the museum is regarded as the most important in Northwest Europe. In addition, the museum houses the country's largest doll's house, and there are regular exhibitions to admire. You may perhaps still remember the impressive exhibition from 2008: ’The Terracotta Army of Xi'an“.

About the Drents Museum in Assen

The history of the Drents Museum begins in its founding year, 1854. In that year, the museum received a provincial grant of 100 guilders for a simple cabinet housing archaeological and historical artefacts. This cabinet was housed in the provincial administration building, which easily explains its then-name, the Provincial Museum of Antiquities. In 1901, the assembled collection was moved to the State Archive in Assen, now known as the Drents Archive. The name was changed to the Provincial Museum of Antiquities and Historical Artefacts.

When Professor van Giffen joined the museum in 1916, it received a great boost that is still noticeable today. Through his excavations and research into the archaeological treasures of Drenthe, he laid the foundation for this top museum in the field of archaeology.

The Netherlands' Largest Doll's House

The oldest house in Assen was restored in 1964 in the style of the 18th century.^e ew and added to the Drents Museum in Assen. The Receiver's House, as this house is called, now houses the Largest Doll's House in the Netherlands. Here you will go back to a time when wigs dictated fashion and there was no electricity. Dutch actress Liz Snoijink plays the role of the owner and will take you into her doll's world. A world in which the Van Lier family plays the leading role. They receive none other than Stadtholder William V as a visitor.

Contemporary figurative art

Ten years after the restoration of the Ontvangershuis, the museum permanently took up residence in the old Provincial House. The name was changed to the Provincial Museum of Drenthe. In 1978, the museum expanded with the Drostenhuis, and a few years later, the Abbey Church was also added. As the Foundation for Fine Arts around 1900 was also housed here in 1983, the museum has collected art from the period around 1900 since that year. In addition, contemporary figurative art was also added to the museum collection during the 1980s.

Mien Ruys was nicknamed ‘Bielzen Mien’ (Sleeper Mien) due to her use of railway sleepers in her garden designs. This trend was very popular throughout the Netherlands in the 1970s. She therefore enjoyed working with straight shapes such as rectangles and squares.

Independent foundation

It wasn't until 1996 that the museum officially received the name Drents Museum in Assen. This decision was made after the museum was once again expanded with the underpass and the covering of the courtyards. These were designed by architect Gerard Schijf of Team 4 Architects. Another three years later, the museum was decoupled from the province of Drenthe and became an independent foundation. The museum's public profile was further enhanced in 2011 with the addition of a new wing designed by Erick van Egeraat, an internationally renowned architect.

From Archaeology to Contemporary Realism

The Drents Museum in Assen's permanent collection includes unique and special exhibitions. For example, the Archaeology collection provides an insight into the influence of humans on the Drenthe landscape. You will also find special natural history and geological items here. Consider, for instance, mammoth bones, but also artefacts from burial mounds and hunebeds. Furthermore, the world's oldest boat can be viewed here, originating from Pesse in Drenthe.

In the Art 1885-1935 collection, you will discover artworks that were assembled around 1900 via the Foundation for Fine Arts. This is unique and makes the Drents Museum in Assen one of the five top collections in our country. The Contemporary Realism collection is also considered one of the most important in the Netherlands. In 2010, 273 artworks from the ING Collection were donated to the Drents Museum for this purpose.

A wide variety of exhibitions

The museum gained significant fame in 2008 through the exhibition “The Terracotta Army of Xi’an”. The museum's exhibitions are therefore particularly impressive and are characterised by great diversity. While the exhibition “The American Dream” was popular from late 2017 to June 2018, the exhibition “Iran, Cradle of Civilisation”, among others, took over.

Kink

The Drents Museum in Assen also works extensively with other cultural institutions. For example, the museum jointly programmes exhibitions in the exhibition space of De Nieuwe Kolk in Assen. Under the abbreviation KINK (Kunst In de Nieuwe Kolk), visitors are treated to contemporary art, particularly art installations and modern design. In addition, the museum invites other cultural organisations, such as Academie Minerva, KunstSalon Assen, and Kunst aan de Vaart, to develop activities and set up exhibitions for this purpose. Want to know more about the must-sees in the Emmen area?

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