Since 1938 · Otterlo, Van Gogh, modern art and outdoor sculpture

In the heart of De Hoge Veluwe National Park, Helene Kroeller-Müller's collection connects Van Gogh, European avant-gardes, modern architecture and one of Europe's great sculpture gardens.

The Kroeller-Müller Museum was born from the vision of Helene Kroeller-Müller, who began collecting systematically at the beginning of the 20th century with the advice of the critic HP Bremmer. In 1908, she acquired her first work by Vincent van Gogh. She recognized the strength of this painting very early on and constituted an exceptional set of paintings and drawings, today at the center of the museum's identity. His project, however, goes beyond a single artist. Seurat, Signac, Picasso, Mondrian, Juan Gris, Fernand Léger, Van Doesburg and many modern creators draw an account of the transformations of European art. In 1935, Helene and Anton Kroeller-Müller gave their collection to the Dutch state, on condition let a museum be built. The building designed by Henry van de Velde opened in 1938 in the De Hoge Veluwe National Park. A wing of Wim Quist and a vast sculpture garden then extend the route towards the landscape. Van's works Gogh chosen here condensed four tensions of his maturity. Provençal millstones combine rural work, heat and stacked rhythms. Under the rainy sky, the field becomes an almost abstract expanse. The road with cypress and star turns the world around a vertical axis. At the Gate of Eternity finally transforms an overwhelmed old man into a universal image of pain. In this museum intended as a place of contemplation in the middle of nature, these paintings show how Van Gogh gives spiritual intensity to the simplest realities. The "Kroeller-Müller Museum" selection notably compares Meules de hay en Provence and Meules de hay sous un ciel rain. His reading prioritize color.

Helene Kroeller-Müller does not only collect masterpieces: she builds a place in nature where modern art must have a lasting effect on the eye.