Art Collection
Our Art Collection brings together works of fine and applied art from the late Middle Ages to the present day—carefully selected, continuously expanded, and always in dialogue with the present. Historical book art, drawings, and prints from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries from the Liberna Collection meet, for example, the textile cultural history of the Stichting Ariadne’s Naaikussen, with sewing and handicraft utensils from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that tell the story of the art of handicraft. These holdings are complemented by contemporary works created in close collaboration with artists as part of our exhibitions. In this way, the collection not only grows, but it also changes—and remains open to new perspectives.
Company Collection
The fact that our business was founded on the initiative of the Brenninkmeijer family also shapes the perspective of our Company Collection. It brings together objects and documents from the family and the business and traces the history of C&A—from its founding in 1841 in Sneek, the Netherlands, to the recent past. Beyond brand or company narratives, this collection offers a cultural-historical perspective on trade, fashion, architecture, and social change. Here, corporate history becomes visible as part of a larger narrative.
Experience the Collections Online
Since 2024, selected examples of these collections can also be discovered online. With the new COLLECTIONS section on our website, we are opening up digital access to selected objects that cannot be permanently exhibited. The presentation is divided into the areas of book art, graphics, painting, photo and video art, sculpture and installation, and applied art. It is supplemented by categories relating to the company’s history, such as architecture and business inventory, commercial photography, documents, advertising, and fashion. he digital space is intended not as a closed showcase, but rather as a growing project—open, expandable, and constantly changing.