The collection of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam contains over 100.000 artworks and objects. The Stedelijk Museum gladly lends works of art and objects from its collection for exhibitions organized by museums and visual art institutions in the Netherlands and abroad. This page provides further details. 

  1. Application lead time 
  2. Submit an application 
  3. Assessment 
  4. Costs 
  5. Conditions 
  6. Loan fee 
  7. Questions? 
  8. Searching the database 

APPLICATION LEAD TIME 

We recommend making the application as soon as possible, at least 9 months prior to the opening date of the exhibition. Applications submitted less than 9 months before the opening date of the exhibition will be considered, but the short length of time may be grounds for rejecting the loan application. The Stedelijk Museum assesses an application within 8-12 weeks.  

SUBMITTING A LOAN REQUEST

Step 1. Provide the necessary information

In order to process the request, we require the following information: 

  • Name, position, e-mail address and telephone number of the borrower and organizer
  • The title of the exhibition and a description of the premise or purpose of the exhibition
  • The start and end dates of the exhibition, including all venues (if applicable) 
  • The location of the exhibition, including all venues (if applicable) 
  • The works requested: title, artist and inventory number (if known) 
  • A facility report for all locations/venues, including the facility’s security measures, environmental and lighting conditions (unless you borrow regularly from Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam)
  • Possible declaration of immunity from seizure 

Please note: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam normally lends a maximum of 10 artworks per request. If you are interested in borrowing more than 10 works per request, please get in touch with the registrar before submitting a request. This can be done through registrar@stedelijk.nl. 

 Step 2. Submitting a request

Please submit your request by e-mail to: registrar@stedelijk.nl. The subject line should include: Loan Application [title and location of exhibition]. Please send all further information concerning the request as an attachment. 

You may also send your request by post:  

Registrar Bureau | Loan Application
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
P.O. Box 75082
1070 AB Amsterdam
The Netherlands

 REVIEWING THE LOAN REQUEST  

All loan requests will be reviewed by a team of curatorial and collection management experts, in discussion with and at the decision of the director of Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. The final decision lies with the director of Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. The review is based on the following key considerations:

  • The relevance of the requested work(s) to the exhibition
  • Work(s) availability during the requested period 
  • Work(s) suitability for travel and display 
  • Administrative and technical work involved in the context of the museum’s own public and exhibition programme. 

COSTS 

All expenses relating to loans are paid for by the borrower. Please consult our cost contribution table (link) for further details. The transportation and stay of the loan will be insured in principle by the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and charged to the borrower. If the borrower cancels an approved loan within a month of the transport date, the borrowing institution pays a cancellation fee of € 150 or more, depending on the expenses incurred.  Stedelijk Museum is always happy to discuss lease contracts for loan of objects to for-profit organisations on a case by case basis.

Overview costs [PDF]

CONDITIONS 

  • Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam specifies how works are packed.
  • The borrower must discuss the choice of transport company with the museum beforehand. Stedelijk Museum reserves the right to specify a transport company.
  • Any particular requirements relating to the conservation or display of the work(s) will be taken into consideration as part of the decision making process. Conditions will have to be confirmed before the loan is agreed.
  • A declaration of immunity from seizure and suit is required for all loans travelling abroad. 
  • The Stedelijk Museum uses its own loan agreements which set out all the agreed conditions. 

LOAN FEE 

In certain cases, the museum will charge a loan fee for objects loaned to non-museum institutions.  

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions about the above, please contact us for general information about the loan procedure at: registrar@stedelijk.nl 

If you are interesting in using photographic material, please contact our photo library at: repro@stedelijk.nl. 

SEARCHING THE DATABASE

Finally, we encourage prospective borrowers to research the collection before submitting a request. You may be able to find objects in the Stedelijk Museum collection by consulting our online database, which contains around 30 percent of the works in our holdings. Due to copyright restrictions, we are unable to provide online access to our entire collection, although those wishing to do so may visit our library to conduct further research. If you are seeking advice regarding the choice of works, please contact the curator of the department in question at registrar@stedelijk.nl.