Kröller-Müller Museum

Kröller-Müller Museum qwesy qwesy / CC BY-SA 3.0

This museum and sculpture park located within a Dutch nature reserve boasts the second-largest collection of Vincent Van Gogh paintings, with more than 90 paintings and 185 drawings. The Kröller-Müller Museum’s collection includes Van Gogh’s Cafe Terrace at Night, Georges Seurat’s Le Chahut, and works pieces by Mondiran, Picasso, Gaugin, and an expansive collection of futurism and DeStijl. The sculpture garden is one of the largest in Europe, with sculptures by Rodin, Moore, Dubuffet, Oldenberg, and more.

It began as a private estate and was created by Helene Kröller-Müller, one of the first European women to stage a major art collection, with public exhibits starting in 1913. She was also an early collector of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings. In 1935, she donated the grounds (Hoge Veluwe Park, the largest national park) and museum to the Netherlands. The museum was opened in 1938, with the collection taking refuge in a bomb shelter and the hunting lodge’s cellars during World War II. The museum kept expanding and reflects Helene Kröller-Müller’s interest in the relationship between art, nature, and architecture.

Know Before You Go

The museum is located within the Hoge Veluwe National Park. It is accessible by car or by bus (from Apeldoorn and Ede-Wageningen stations, take Bus 108 to Otterlo and from Arnhem Station take Bus 105 to Otterlo. For either route, you must transfer to Bus 106 in Otterlo).