About the collection

Since the museum was founded in 1903, we have built a collection of around 24,000 design objects. Every object has its ownidentity. Until 1974, acquisitions were assigned consecutive inventory numbers. Since then, new acquisitions have been registered according to the year they entered the collection. When a design consists of multiple parts, such as a dinner service, these are grouped under a single collection number. 

As soon as an object enters the collection, we record extensive information about it in our digital database. Because design rarely fits into a single category, one object can belong to several collections at once. A chair, for example, can be classified byfunction, such as furniture, interiors, lighting, tableware or kitchenware, as well as by material, including ceramics, glass, silver, textiles and plastics. 

The same flexibility applies behind the scenes. Objects are not stored according to these theoretical categories but according totheir physical shape and the conservation needs of their materials. This approach ensures that every object remains in the best possible condition. 

The collection includes outstanding examples from the history of design by figures such as Henry van de Velde, Albert Van huffel, Pieter De Bruyne, Piet Stockmans, Ettore Sottsass Jr., Alessandro Mendini and Maarten Van Severen. It also features important examples of industrial design by brands including Alessi, Nova and Tupperware. Several holdings entered themuseum as complete private collections, including those of Fernand Scribe, Norbert Havermans, Dirk Schrijvers and Antonio Alonso. 

Design is much more than a finished object. It is a process of thinking, sketching and experimenting. We care for the complete professional archives of five leading designers: Albert Van huffel, Geo Henderick, Gaston Eysselinck, Pieter De Bruyne andJoost Maréchal. 

We also preserve the complete archive of the Interieur Biennale Kortrijk, complemented by significant archival material fromdesigners including Paul Ibou, Axel Enthoven and Antoine Van Loocke, as well as design curator and journalist Moniek E. Bucquoye. 

For anyone wishing to explore the history of a designer or company in greater depth, our documentation collections are an invaluable resource. 

The National Documentation Centre for Applied Arts (NDK) was established by curator Adelbert Van de Walle following Expo 58. During the mid-1970s, his successor Lieven Daenens continued to expand the collection, and it is still actively growingtoday. The NDK now contains around 2,800 files on Belgian designers and manufacturers working in the applied arts, interiorarchitecture, industrial design and the visual arts. It is an essential source for research into post-war Belgian design. 

The Moniek E. Bucquoye Documentation Collection (DMB) complements this with around 1,900 Belgian and 900 internationalfiles documenting the international design landscape between 1980 and 2010. A third, smaller collection contains product catalogues from the pioneering Ghent design shop Modern Form, which is currently being catalogued and made accessible. 

When the museum was founded in 1903, its library formed an integral part of daily museum life. Craftspeople and designers visited to consult pattern books, trade catalogues and specialist journals for inspiration. 

Since 2017, the Kunstenbibliotheek has been part of the Arts Library at the Bijloke site, alongside the collections of KASK, S.M.A.K. and STAM. Together they form a unique resource for anyone interested in visual art, design and urban culture. Some unique collections remain at Design Museum Gent because of their close historical connection to the museum. 

These include the personal reference libraries of Geo Henderick and Gaston Eysselinck, as well as the remarkable series of print albums compiled by the museum's first curator, Armand Heins, during the 1920s and 1930s.