Municipality of Wassenaar reassesses art collection ahead of renovation

From May 2026, Raadhuis De Paauw will close for approximately 2.5 years for renovation and restoration. This is a logical moment for the municipality to review its art collection. The aim is to create a smaller, more manageable collection in which the remaining works of art are more visible and come into their own. The municipality of Wassenaar owns approximately 900 works of art, including 77 sculptures in public spaces. A large part of these works are currently stored in Raadhuis De Paauw, including 305 works of art stored in the basement.

An external art historian examined the collection and advised which works could be disposed of. These are works of art with no clear connection to Wassenaar and some of the BKR works. The BKR (Visual Artists' Scheme) was a national scheme that ran from 1949 to 1987, whereby artists handed in works of art in exchange for an income. The municipality only disposes of works of art by artists of whom it owns more than ten BKR works. 

Preservation of core collections and process

The Eggens and Knoester collections will be retained because they fit within the municipality's historical policy. Based on the advice, the council has drawn up a list of artworks that may be disposed of. To ensure the thoroughness of the process, a sounding board group consisting of members of the Cultural Heritage Sounding Board Group, the Oud Wassenaer Historical Society, the Ars et Studium association of amateur visual artists, and the Wassenaar Art Group was consulted.

What next?

The intention to dispose of the property will be published in the Municipal Gazette on the website www.officielebekendmakingen.nl. Interested parties may then submit their views within a period of six weeks.

After the consultation period has ended, the mayor and aldermen will assess the opinions and, if necessary, seek further advice from a committee of independent experts. The artworks that are being disposed of will be offered for sale to the public, so that the artists registered with the BKR will also have the opportunity to purchase their artworks.