Plaster collection
In the Gipsotheek, you discover the creative process behind the sculptures.
Collection
The collection of Museum Beelden aan Zee tells the story of modern and contemporary sculpture, both from the Netherlands and internationally. With more than 5,000 sculptures, the museum shows how diverse and surprising sculpture can be. You can see sculpture in all its forms: from figurative to abstract, from intimate portraits to larger-than-life statues. Museum Beelden aan Zee is the place where you can experience the full range of sculpture.
Modern and Contemporary Sculpture
Originally, the human figure was central to the collection of the Beelden aan Zee museum: works in which artists explore both the external appearance and the inner experience of humans. Nowadays, the museum explicitly focuses on the abstract tradition within modern sculpture and contemporary sculpture. Diversity plays an increasingly important role: we provide ample space for artists with various geographical, cultural, and gender backgrounds.
In addition to temporary exhibitions, the museum continuously showcases changing selections from the permanent collection. You can see works by, among others, Hans Arp, Atelier van Lieshout, Stephan Balkenhol, Berlinde De Bruyckere, Tom Claassen, Iris Le Rütte, Tony Cragg, Ryan Gander, Per Kirkeby, Giacomo Manzú, Igor Mitoraj, Jan Meefout, Charlotte van Pallandt, Jaume Plensa, Thom Puckey, Kiki Smith, Johan Tahon, Shinkichi Tajiri, William Turnbull, and Ossip Zadkine.
Subcollections
The collection of the Beelden aan Zee museum includes about 1,000 plaster models and 2,000 medals. A selection of these subcollections is displayed in varying arrangements in the Gipsotheek, the Library, and the Quist showcase.
Sculptures on location
In the sculpture garden of Het Nijenhuis in Heino (Museum de Fundatie), a substantial selection of sculptures from the collection of Museum Beelden aan Zee is on display. In addition, the Monument to the Royal Family by Arthur Spronken has been placed on long-term loan to Soestdijk Palace, where it occupies a prominent position in the garden. Lastly, Museum Beelden aan Zee has loaned several sculptures to healthcare institutions throughout the Netherlands: Zorggroep De Laren, Bloezem, Cordaan and Amarosa. At these locations, the sculptures contribute to a pleasant living environment for the elderly and ensure the collection remains visible outside the museum storage.
Donations and Purchases
In recent years, the collection has been qualitatively enhanced by donations from, among others, Stiftung Arp in Berlin and private art collectors. Purchases were also made thanks to the support of, among others, the Vereniging Rembrandt and our donor circles.
Several masterpieces
Yinko Shonibare - Revolution Kid (Fox), 2012
Yinka Shonibare consistently manages to address important and timely themes: cultural identity, globalization, and the colonial past. Often humorous and confrontational at the same time, his colorful human and animal figures rarely leave the viewer untouched. Is the fox on the hunt, or is he being hunted himself? The artist created the sculpture during the Arab Spring; the golden gun mirrors Gaddafi’s famous weapon, and the BlackBerry was the revolution’s key communication tool.
Shonibare grew up between two cultures: Nigeria and the United Kingdom. The theme of cultural identity runs like a thread through his work. The fox wears a costume in the style of 18th-century European fashion, made with a distinctly African print. But appearances can be deceiving: the colorful fabric is not African, but manufactured by the Vlisco factory in Helmond, the Netherlands.
Artwork: Yinka Shonibare – Revolution Kid (Fox), 2012. Dutch cotton fabrics (Vlisco), fiberglass, leather, taxidermy fox head, BlackBerry phone, 24-carat gold-plated pistol – collection of Museum Beelden aan Zee – inv. 1223. Photo: Studio Gerrit Schreurs
Mari Andriessen, The Dockworker, 1952
Mari Andriessen's Dockworker in Amsterdam is the most famous war monument in the Netherlands. It commemorates the unique February Strike in 1941, a massive protest against the persecution of Jews that was brutally ended by the Germans. The non-idealized image of a striking dockworker symbolizes the resistance of the common man against the occupier.
Image: Mari Andriessen, The Dockworker (model monument), 1952. Plaster. Collection Frans Hals Museum, on long-term loan (inventory number FHM10097). Photo: Studio Gerrit Schreurs
Ossip Zadkine, Head of a Woman, 1922
Ossip Zadkine (1888–1967) spent almost his entire life in Paris. In the Netherlands, he is best known for the war monument De Verwoeste Stad in Rotterdam, which so poignantly depicts the feeling of loss and destruction. Like many of his Parisian contemporaries, Zadkine was inspired by the expressive power of African art. The sculpture Tête de femme is a striking example of this. The abstract, uniquely designed head is carved directly from wood (en taille directe) and is characteristic of his early work. The hairstyle is stylized, but the whole feels contemporary. This work has a special provenance story: artist Charley Toorop received this sculpture in exchange for one of her paintings. There are also bronze versions of this sculpture, but there is only one in wood.
Image: Ossip Zadkine, Tête de femme [Tête héroïque], 1922. Wood. Collection of museum Beelden aan Zee (inventory number 410). Photo: Studio Gerrit Schreurs
Ryan Gander - Waiting for timefall, or, Living in a time where everything is possible, but nothing can happen, 2025
In Gander's most recent work, Waiting for timefall, or, Living in a time where everything is possible, but nothing can happen (2025), the dancer is no longer the only object of reflection. She is integrated into a broader, almost cosmic perspective. The work shows the ballerina in a moment of stillness, as if she is waiting for something beyond her reach — referring to the idea of 'waiting' as an active state of being. This image evokes the tension between the desire for control over the concept of time and its inevitable progression.
Image: Ryan Gander - Waiting for timefall, or, Living in a time where everything is possible, but nothing can happen, 2025. Collection of Museum Beelden aan Zee. Photo: Studio Gerrit Schreurs
More information
Arp Subcollection
In 2023, the Beelden aan Zee museum received a special donation of 22 sculptures by Hans Arp. An important addition to our collection of modern art.
Sprookjesbeelden
Op de boulevard van Scheveningen zijn op een groot buitenterras drieëntwintig sprookjesbeelden te zien van de beeldhouwer Tom Otterness (1952).
The sculptural medal collection
In addition to sculptures, Museum Beelden aan Zee also collects a subcollection of sculptural medals: small-scale artworks by various artists, with an emphasis on the second half of the twentieth century to the present.
Sculpture Institute & Library
The Sculpture Institute is housed within Museum Beelden aan Zee and is dedicated to research on modern and contemporary sculpture. Here you’ll find a library with over 14,000 titles on sculpture. You are warmly welcome to browse, read, and find inspiration.
