Library

The library is free to visit every Thursday from 11:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:00 until 31 July 2025. On Wednesdays, you can visit the library by appointment between 11:00 and 13:00 and 14:00 and 16:00. Want to study in the library or check out the library collection and archives (see library’s online catalogue)? Please book at least five days in advance for this. '

About the library

The Van Abbemuseum's library contains more than 140,000 titles: books, exhibition and collection catalogues, national and international (art) magazines, videos, CDs and DVDs. Our complete collection of books and publications can be accessed via the library catalogue on this website, or via this online platform where you can find even more details.

There is a particular focus within the collection on artists' books and publications on minimal art, conceptual art and fluxus. Publications are additionally complemented by invitations, posters and special editions.

Also special are the documentation archive on the art collection and the exhibition archive from 1936 onwards. Through purchases, donations and exchanges with other museums, we try to keep track of current developments in contemporary art. In exceptional cases, collections of external organisations are also given a place in the library's collections. An overview of new acquisitions can be found in our library catalogue.

Archive and library catalogue

The exhibition and management archives are part of the library. You will find a wealth of information on the museum's history from 1933 onwards. Via the library catalogue, you can consult all exhibitions or collection presentations since 1936 and download additional information (e.g. room overviews, press releases, fact sheets and leaflets). You can download a manual for its use. The management archives for the period 1933-1989 can be consulted in full via the library catalogue and media bank, as well as through the “Zoekwoorden"
(Search words) option.