Continuous

KM (New) Icons

Kunstmuseum Den Haag celebrates its collection with icons of yesterday, today and tomorrow!

Charley Toorop - Zelfportret met palet (1932- 1933), Kunstmuseum Den Haag

Highlights and surprises, seascapes and cloudy skies, visions of the future and new voices, the woman in the colourful striped dress, and a rainbow of artworks. KM (New) Icons casts the collection of Kunstmuseum Den Haag in a new light – without letting go of old favourites, so you can always return to the works you love most. On show are pieces by Charley Toorop, Paula Rego, Vincent van Gogh, Louise Bourgeois, Christian Dior, Erwin Olaf and many others. The museum celebrates its collection in every form, with icons of modern art, photography, fashion, and contemporary and applied art. 

Icons of yesterday, today and tomorrow  

2026 marks 160 years since the collection of Kunstmuseum Den Haag was founded. Since the Vereeniging tot het oprigten van een Museum van Moderne Kunst (Society for the Founding of a Museum of Modern Art) was established in 1866, works have been bought, acquired, forgotten, chosen and shaped. We honour this rich history while looking ahead. What are the icons of today and tomorrow? 

This autumn, a new exhibition will fill Berlage's monumental building. Alongside it, three staircases have been transformed by three contemporary artists who engage in dialogue with both the building and the collection: Hadassah Emmerich, Natasja Kensmil and Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum. 

What makes an icon?  

Throughout the exhibition and public programme, we invite visitors, staff, residents of The Hague, makers and partners to reflect with us: what is an icon to you, and what makes something iconic?  

KM (New) Icons is on display at Kunstmuseum Den Haag from 10 October 2026

 

This exhibition is made possible in part by Gemeente Den Haag, VriendenLoterij, Fonds Kunstmuseum den Haag, Laanfonds and Vereniging Vrienden van Kunstmuseum Den haag.