DNB Art Collection

The art collection of De Nederlandsche Bank is characterised by its free-spirited and contemporary outlook. Numbering over 1,200 works covering several disciplines and styles, the collection offers an accurate representation of today's major developments in the visual arts. De Nederlandsche Bank collects high-quality recent works by both Dutch and international artists, including, for instance, Marlene Dumas, Robert Zandvliet, Jan Andriesse, Matthew Monahan and Thomas Houseago.

Art policy
Despite its relatively modest budget, DNB aspires to build a collection that faithfully reflects the current state of the visual arts. New trends and young, talented artists are closely monitored, with special attention to works that signal a new development in an artist's oeuvre. The scope of DNB's art collection ranges from glass objects to video art and from sculpture to painting.

History
De Nederlandsche Bank's art collection has its roots in the early twentieth century. In 1905, DNB purchased a painting by the Amsterdam impressionist George Hendrik Breitner. In those early days, art was acquired only to embellish the rooms of executive directors and other representative spaces.

In 1982, the Governing Board decided to put the formation of DNB's art collection on a more permanent footing. An Art Committee composed of staff was installed and mandated to pursue DNB's art policy on a set budget and according to a stated purchasing policy: to acquire art by young and talented artists from the Netherlands and elsewhere. Henceforth, the art collection was employed to give aesthetic enhancement to the premises and to enable employees make their workspace more agreeable.