The people behind the museum #2: Steven ten Thije

What is their background? What does art mean to them? And what fascinates them? In this column, meet the staff of the Van Abbemuseum. Second in this series is Steven ten Thije, who as Head of Collections leads the teams managing the art, book and archive collections.

Researcher, project manager, curator and, since 2020, head of collections: in Steven ten Thije's seventeen years at the Van Abbemuseum, he has fulfilled various roles. In his current position, he works on the development, use and preservation of the collections. What appeals to him about the museum? 'For me, it is not so much about showing the hippest art, but about thinking about the public interest of an art institution. What can a socially engaged museum mean to the people of the city in a changing world?'

Art History

'For a long time as a teenager, I didn't know what I wanted to do in terms of education and work. Until I discovered art history towards the end of high school: I instantly fell in love. I found it fascinating to experience that looking at art really gives you a new perspective on reality. Those insights trickle in one by one with a layered work of art, they keep surprising you. I have since trained as an art historian and art philosopher and work in a museum; a public school for experiencing art.'

Privilege 

'Some people spend their whole lives making money, buy one masterpiece and then can enjoy it every now and then between work. For my work, I find myself daily among art and inspiring people, which is a great privilege. One day I work with people living on the streets and the next I'm sitting at the table with the CEO of Dela. Meeting with a wide variety of audiences suits me. That's also how I think the mentality of a museum should be: accessible to everyone.'

Guts

'Over a period of almost ninety years, the Van Abbemuseum's collection grew to some 3,600 works of modern and contemporary art. In it, the focus is not one particular movement or discipline, but rather the personality and position of the artist in the world. It is a relatively small collection, but one that shows guts. For instance, we acquired the tomato growing project Forever Summer by art collective De Onkruidenier. That is not just a film, but literally instructions on how to grow tomatoes with people in the city. Not a painting on the wall, but a work of art as an ecosystem. Fascinating.'

Own art fair

'We do not acquire works for the collection by visiting auctions or fairs. We prefer to buy from makers the museum has a relationship with, artists or designers who have exhibited with us before, for example. In fact, our exhibition programme is our own art fair. For instance, we are now in the process of buying Korean artist Sung Hwan Kim, who had a solo exhibition at the Van Abbemuseum in early 2024. He shows us that in our world, migration is the norm rather than the exception. In fact, we are all composites: composite beings of stories from far and wide.'

From Panic into Magic

'The most recent acquisition is the work Turn Panic into Magic by Erwin Thomasse, which now adorns the roof of the museum. He created this light artwork in 2021, in the middle of the pandemic. The lockdown caused people to panic slightly; there was a need for a little more magic. Wars, political crises, natural disasters: in the years that followed, the work took on new connotations each time. With that multifaceted eloquence, it grew into a crowd favourite. Part of the acquisition is also a small light box with the same text, which travels past living rooms in the area.'

Proud

'What I am most proud of? Surely the acquisition of Lidewij Edelkoort's design collection. Apart from the fact that it consists of over 50 beautiful objects, this step also marked a change in our collection policy. As a museum, we made the statement that art and design are an extension of each other. It was a complicated process, but that's what made it exciting for me. Because collecting is more than buying something and putting it in a depot. Storing work is what you do so that it comes to life within a collection and tells a story there.'

Steven's favourites

Favourite work in the collection:

'It sounds a bit dramatic, but it almost feels like choosing between your children. I still go for the works from Museum of American Art, then. These have been important to me from my early days at the museum and also played a role in the previous collection presentation Making of Modern Art.'

Favourite Van Abbemuseum exhibition:

'That's Museum of Arte Util (2013-2014). This exhibition shook up thinking about art by focusing on the use value of art. It was exciting, we didn't know if this concept would catch on. But it certainly did!'

Favourite spot in the museum:

'Lying on the floor during a Feldenkrais class by Yael Davids. These sessions create more awareness about your movements. They currently take place on the first floor of the new building.'

Tip for an emerging artist:

'Then I go for artist collective De Onkruidenier (The Weedsmith). Together with the Van Abbemuseum and dozens of home growers, they form a community exploring the change in our climate through tomato growing.'

Tip for a must-visit museum:

‘I have always been a big fan of the team and programming at Moderna Galerija in Ljubljana, Slovenia.’