Rijksmuseum Twenthe: from textile collection to a museum of many eras

The museum in Enschede links old master painting, ceramics and modern art. Currently on the agenda are In het veld and Democratie NU?, among others.

Museum Magazine · 13 October 2026

The front façade of Rijksmuseum Twenthe on the Lasondersingel. — The exterior of Rijksmuseum Twenthe in Enschede, photographed in 2021; the current exhibitions are not pictured. Photo: Richard Broekhuijzen / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image source

Rijksmuseum Twenthe in Enschede grew out of the collection of textile manufacturer Jan Bernard van Heek. The museum opened in 1930 and, according to its own website, now holds more than 9,000 objects. Alongside the permanent collection, temporary presentations in October 2026 deal with landscape and democracy, among other subjects.

The building was designed by Karel Muller and Anton Beudt. In the 1960s, J.B. Scholten and M.G. Van Heel donated seventeenth- and nineteenth-century paintings and hundreds of pieces of Delftware, among other things. This gave the collection new periods and materials.

Roof and small tower of Rijksmuseum Twenthe against the evening sky. — A detail of the museum roof in 2013; the image shows no works from the collection. Photo: Frea Bruintjes / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 NL · Image source

According to the museum, the Art & Project/depot VBVR collection comprises about a thousand works by internationally leading artists from the second half of the twentieth century. Museum.nl describes the broader collection area as old masters, eighteenth- and nineteenth-century painting and contemporary art.

In the 1990s, architect Ben van Berkel designed an additional exhibition hall and a light-filled museum café. The inner garden was redesigned in 2020, according to the museum's historical overview.

According to the museum agenda, Milah van Zuilen's In het veld runs until 18 October 2026. Democratie NU? Runs until 14 February 2027. In it, fifteen artists show work about power, systems and the influence of images. Rijksmuseum Twenthe made this exhibition together with the festival GOGBOT.

AKI Alumni: Gideon van Gameren has also been on view since 9 October, scheduled until 24 January 2027. Marie Cornélie van Twickel is on the agenda for 7 November; that exhibition is due to run until 9 May 2027. On 13 October, the latter is still a future presentation.

The museum is at Lasondersingel 129, 7514 BP Enschede. According to its own site, it is usually open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. A regular adult ticket costs €16.50; young people up to and including age seventeen and Museumkaart holders have free admission.