About De Pont Museum
FROM FACTORY TO MUSEUM
De Pont Museum is an international museum for contemporary art, housed in a former wool mill in Tilburg. Benthem Crouwel Architects transformed the industrial building with its distinctive sawtooth roof into an open, light-filled space where today’s art can truly come into its own. Since opening in 1992, De Pont Museum has offered visitors art of the highest quality in an environment that breathes calm, space, and reflection.
Today’s Art
Since opening in 1992, De Pont Museum has been changing its exhibitions and collection displays several times a year. Painting and sculpture, along with installations, film, performance, and photography, form the heart of the programme.
In 2016, the museum opened a new wing dedicated to photography, video, and multimedia installations, which also houses the museum café. Adjacent to it lies the lush museum garden, an oasis of calm where native species such as apple trees and evening primrose grow alongside exotic ferns and Japanese wineberry.
De Pont Museum puts the artist first. The museum cultivates long-term relationships with artists, and exhibitions are developed in close collaboration with them. Regular visitors get to experience an entirely new artistic universe with each visit.
The Founder: Jan de Pont (1915–1987)
De Pont Museum is named after Jan de Pont, a lawyer and entrepreneur. Shortly before his death, he decided to dedicate a portion of his estate to the support of contemporary visual art. His bequest formed the foundation for De Pont Museum, which continues to operate as a financially independent institution to this day.
Jan de Pont became involved in the reorganisation of textile companies in his hometown, Tilburg, in the 1960s. One of these, the Thomas de Beer wool mill, was successfully revived in 1969 – much to De Pont’s satisfaction. He remained interested in this factory until the end of his life, and after his death, the building came to house De Pont Museum.
A Living Building with History
The museum occupies a former wool mill – a tangible reminder of Tilburg’s industrial past. The factory complex was once part of the textile industry that shaped the city. The distinctive sawtooth-roofed hall allows daylight to bring the art to life, while the smaller ‘wool pens’ create intimate spaces for stillness and contemplation.
An Independent Museum with an Artist-Driven Vision
De Pont Museum is an independent institution with an artist-driven approach. We follow artists over an extended period and collect their work in depth, enabling us to show how it develops and transforms over time.
The collection now holds over one thousand works by more than one hundred artists from all around the world, including celebrated names such as Anish Kapoor, Marlene Dumas, and Richard Serra, alongside emerging voices in contemporary art.
Discover more
The press is of course very welcome in De Pont museum. Written press should apply for a visit at least three working days in advance. Free access for press is only possible after registration and permission from the Press Office. Photo and/or video recordings in the museum and the museum garden are only permitted after permission from the museum. You must submit an application for this at least two weeks in advance, so that we can coordinate the visit in consultation.
Do you have a question or comment? Please let us know. Send us an email and we will do our best to respond within one working day.