Glass art sculptures on display in a modern, well-lit gallery with a person walking by.
Modern art gallery featuring minimalist sculptures and wall art, including a circular piece with a gradient of orange and pink centered behind a large metallic oval frame, and a black sculptural piece on a white pedestal, all reflecting on a sand-covered
Fashion exhibit featuring a large blue gown with colorful, abstract embellishments on the shoulders and a caped design. Two display cases showcase vintage and contemporary shoes on orange pedestals.

About Museum JAN

Museum JAN in Amstelveen is a museum for visual arts with a special focus on glass art. The museum's own collection consists of unique glass objects, brought together by founder Jan van der Togt. He collected top international art based on what fascinated him aesthetically. In addition to this distinctive collection, Museum JAN offers a broad and appealing exhibition program.

From January 2020, Museum Jan van der Togt will continue under the name Museum JAN. JAN refers, of course, to the museum's founder, Jan van der Togt. But JAN also refers to someone else: Jan Verschoor. He was Van der Togt's advisor, co-founder, and former director of the museum. He is also an artist; his works are part of the permanent collection.

The museum is built around Verschoor's home on Dorpsplein in Amstelveen—and he still lives there! From the museum, visitors can step right into Verschoor's living room to admire his art collection.

Mission & vision

Museum JAN makes visual arts and design accessible to a wide audience in a contemporary way. It is an inspiring meeting place where regional, national, and international stories about art, culture, and local history take center stage. Museum JAN is also an entrepreneurial museum and strives to be at the heart of society with its activities and to contribute to the creative potential and socio-economic development of Amstelveen and the surrounding area."

To achieve this mission, the museum has formulated the following core priorities:

  • Preservation and management: Preserving and managing the permanent collection—consisting of modern and contemporary (glass) art—and making this collection accessible to as wide an audience as possible.

  • Enrichment and inspiration: Inspiring a broad audience through exhibitions in the fields of visual arts, glass art, and design.

  • Entrepreneurship: Generating additional sources of income, including through the professionalization of fundraising and events, and the development of new revenue models.

The museum aims to broaden and deepen its collection of sculptural glass art. In doing so, the museum focuses primarily on the "tangible heritage of humanity and its environment," thereby complying with the definition of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). Since January 1, 2012, the museum has been recognized by the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration as a Public Benefit Organization (ANBI).

History

Workers on an assembly line in a large industrial factory, with shelves of boxes and equipment.
A large group of men, dressed in formal suits, attending a gathering outside a modern building with glass windows. Some men are speaking at a microphone, and there is a banner or flag on the right side.
Black and white portrait of an elderly man wearing glasses, a suit, a patterned tie, and a pocket square, sitting against a textured wall.

Jan van der Togt (1905–1995)

The museum owes its original name to Jan van der Togt: industrialist and art collector. Van der Togt was the founder and director of the successful Tomado factory (Tomado Massaproducten Dordrecht), which produced all kinds of household appliances. The famous Tomado rack with its colored metal shelves could be found in many Dutch households and is now part of many museum collections. Architect and designer Gerrit Rietveld even called Tomado's products "excellent examples of Dutch design."

The emergence of a collector

Jan van der Togt always had an eye for design and art. He commissioned the famous architect Huig Maaskant (known for the Euromast) to design his factory buildings in the functionalist style of New Objectivity. The revolutionary office building 'Het Tomadohuis' in Dordrecht (1962) became a household name. Maaskant also introduced Van der Togt to the famous sculptor Ossip Zadkine in his Paris studio. Van der Togt commissioned Zadkine to create a large relief for his factory in Etten-Leur. The museum collection still contains a bronze sculpture group by this famous artist.

The growth of the collection

After selling his Tomado factories in 1971, Jan van der Togt began to focus intensively on contemporary art. He visited museums, galleries, and art fairs, collecting not only sculptures but also paintings and modern glass art. Jan Verschoor, one of the sculptors whose work he purchased, became his advisor. Together, they assembled an impressive collection.

Gradually, the idea arose to make the collection accessible to the public in its own museum. The museum foundation was established in 1990 and, thanks to the joint efforts of Jan van der Togt and Jan Verschoor, Museum Jan van der Togt opened its doors on Dorpsstraat in Amstelveen in 1991. Jan Verschoor became the director and remained the driving force behind the museum, even after Van der Togt's death in 1995. From the outset, the museum organized exhibitions in a variety of disciplines, from painting to photography and fashion, in addition to glass art.

The building

Museum JAN is housed in a building designed by Hoogeveen architects. Although the building looks intimate and modest from the outside, it has an exhibition area of no less than 1,100 m². The building at Dorpsstraat 40-42 is a municipal monument. Thanks to a subsidy from the province of North Holland, this building was completely renovated in 2010-2011 and incorporated into the museum. Next to the museum is the former public elementary school, a characteristic building that now serves as an art education space and studio for Jan Verschoor.

The Old Village

Amstelveen has grown from a hamlet for peat workers in the thirteenth century to a city with almost 90,000 inhabitants. The Old Village has always remained the beating heart and is flourishing like never before! Museum JAN is the centerpiece of a diverse range of unique shops and cozy restaurants: from traditional pubs and artisanal pizzerias to an excellent seafood restaurant and a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Organization

Team

  • Marieke Uildriks – Managing Director

  • Tomas Hillebrand – Curator / Project Manager Exhibitions

  • Sem van Riel – General Affairs Manager

  • Sita Hauptmeijer – Marketing & Communications

  • Sophie de Geus – Education & Activities

Supervisory Board

Museum JAN is managed by the Jan van der Togt Foundation as described in the Governance Code for Culture.

  • Mr. E. van Emmerik (Chair)

  • Ms. E. Ágoston

  • Mrs. C. Bouman

Working at JAN

Volunteers are indispensable to Museum JAN. Without their enthusiastic dedication, the museum would not be able to exist.

Are you interested in joining our team as a volunteer host or hostess at the cash register, in the museum shop, or as a host in the exhibition halls? Please contact Sem van Riel at sem.van.riel@museumjan.nl or call +31(0)206415754 for more information.

We would love to meet you!

There are currently no vacancies for paid positions.