Photo: Boudewijn Bollmann
Inclusion & Multivocality
The museum's history doesn't align well with the diverse society we are part of. For a long time, the same topics have been looked at from a one-sided perspective. It's time to give multiple voices a stage. Such as those from people with a migration background or people whose experiences of gender or sexuality have not been regarded as the norm in society. The Van Abbemuseum is there for everyone.
Besides embracing multivocality, we are committed to being a sensory museum. Truly a museum for all people in all their diversity. Are you visually impaired, deaf, or do you use a wheelchair? We want the Van Abbemuseum to be a source of inspiration for you too.
Multivocality in the acquisition process
To give multiple voices a platform in the museum, it's important to have a variety of voices present in the acquisition process of our collection. That's why, in addition to our director, the head of collections, and the curator of collections, two senior curators are part of the acquisition committee. The two senior curators are advised by all the teams working on the reference fields.
Additionally, we are exploring more inclusive ways to acquire art for Eindhoven, such as collaborating with a citizens' council.
Unlimited Van Abbe
The Van Abbemuseum is open to anyone who wants to experience art. Do you identify as male, female, non-binary, or something else? Are you visually impaired, deaf, or do you use a wheelchair? Curious about art and culture? Then we want the Van Abbemuseum to inspire you too. And if you are unable to visit the museum in person, the museum comes to you. The Unlimited Van Abbe programme makes sure of that. We use art to help people to start having conversations with each other.
Experiencing the museum and its artworks with all the senses is not only valuable for people with specific needs. It enhances the museum experience for all visitors.
- Blind and visually impaired visitors
- Deaf and hard of hearing visitors
- Visitors with Alzheimer's disease (Unforgettable Van Abbe)
- Visitors with aphasia (Spraakmakend Van Abbe)
- Trigger-free museum visits
- Museum visit with robot
Find more information about the Unlimited van Abbe target groups on the Practical information page.
Delinking and Relinking
With 120 artworks the exhibition spans all five floors of the museum. Delinking and Relinking invites you to experience art differently: sometimes literally, by touching, smelling, or listening to art. Sometimes metaphorically, by paying attention to different, lesser-known voices. Artists who have not previously been associated with each other. With over 25 multi-sensory tools, including texts in Braille, scent interpretations, soundscapes, tactile drawings and objects and audio tours, Delinking and Relinking is the first fully multi-sensory collection presentation in the Netherlands.
De Volkskrant wrote about this exhibition as follows: "The exhibition has little text, the artworks themselves tell the story. This is often done through special, pointed combinations. The design enhances the effect. For instance, something seems to vibrate between Picasso's Buste de femme (1943) and Wilfredo Lam's Le marchand d’oiseaux (1962), so beautifully do the compositions fit each other. The museum placed them together to show the mutual influence between European and non-European artists: the Spanish Picasso and Cuban Lam met in Paris."
