The Drents Museum in Assen

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Category: Drenthe -places to visit

During the last few decades, the Drents Museum was one of the few Dutch museums to collect contemporary realistic art..

The museum has over 1.500 works by artists such as Henk Helmantel, Matthijs Röling, Wout Muller, Pieter Pander, Sam  Drukker, Douwe Elias, Barend Blankert and Berend Groen.
The new presentation shows a selection of works from the large gift of contemporary realism the Drents Museum received from the ING Bank.

On November 11, 2010, the ING Bank gave 273 works of art by 51 artists to the Drents Museum. This gift meant that the Drents Museum now has one of the most prominent collections of contemporary realistic art in the Netherlands.

The Contemporary Realism department is situated in the old part of the museum, on the first floor.

Archaeology
In the archaeological department the influence of man on the landscape is shown. Man has used the landscape, but has also created it. This leads to various stories hidden in the landscape, stories about geology, archaeology, nature, daily life and religion. These stories help us understand the distant past.

You will find impressive mammoth bones, unique Neanderthal finds, objects from hunebedden (megalithic grave monuments) and burial hills, the oldest boat in the World and of course the Bog Bodies. Look at and listen to the background to the drama of Yde Girl in the Yde theatre.

The department consists of two parts: on the ground floor in the white space man is the focal point; the dark basement focuses on the treasure-trove of the landscape and the Bog Bodies. At this moment, only the ground floor is accessible; it temporarily also houses the world famous Bog Body Yde Girl. In the fist half of 2012 the basement will open to the public.  

The Archaeological department is situated in the old part of the museum, on the ground floor and the underpass.

Art and Applied Art 1885-1935
This department contains Dutch Art and Applied Art from the period 1885-1935. This period is characterized by tempestuous developments in both ‘’free’ and applied art. Simultaneously, many artists remain true to traditions which still have a lot to offer.

The department starts in the so-called Ballroom, which allows you to experience the mood of the period. The adjoining rooms show objects from the periods 1885-1915 and 1915-1935. The print gallery displays wonderful book covers and prints.

The first floor shows work from the collections which the museum has not previously shown. Mostly this concerns new acquisitions, but there are a number of objects on display which have been part of the collection for a long time.
The extension and renovation of the Drents Museum offers an excellent opportunity to show this work to the public. This concerns work by major artists and designers as well as work by lesser known and completely unknown artists. The combination of work on display presents a view of the width and diversity of Dutch Art and Applied Art in the period 1885-1935.

The department of Dutch Art and Applied Art 1885-1935 is situated in the old part of the museum, on the ground floor and the first floor. https://www.drentsmuseum.nl/website-english/home.html