History of the collection

Design Museum Gent was founded in 1903 as a museum of models for the applied arts. Its ambition was both simple andambitious: to educate and inspire. By presenting outstanding examples of design, its founders aimed to inspire craftspeople andencourage the wider public to appreciate good design. 

 The museum was established as a private initiative by the Association for Industrial and Decorative Arts, led by art patron Fernand Scribe and university professor Oscar Pyfferoen. Supported by industrialists, craftspeople and politicians, they launched the museum with artist and amateur historian Armand Heins as its first curator. The collection was initially housed in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts before moving, in 1923, to Hotel De Coninck, the eighteenth-century town house that still forms part of the museum today. 

During its early years, the museum collected furniture alongside textiles, ceramics, copper, silver and glass. Historical objectswere considered the best source of inspiration for future makers, so the collection focused on Gothic, Renaissance andeighteenth-century French styles. When original works could not be acquired, plaster casts and documentation were added instead. 

Interest in Art Nouveau soon followed. At the 1913 Ghent World Fair, the museum made a series of bold acquisitions, including innovative international design and, remarkably for the time, works by women designers. During the 1920s, chairman Léon Leirens strengthened this modern direction with a particular interest in French Art Deco. At the same time, the Salons d'Art Décoratif promoted Belgian decorative artists, enabling the museum to acquire contemporary works directly from these lively exhibitions. 

In the 1930s, curator Henri Nowé introduced a new approach by transforming the museum galleries into period rooms. To furnish these interiors, he focused on eighteenth-century furniture, often exchanging objects with the Museum of Antiquities, now STAM. As a result, expanding the collection became less important than organising temporary exhibitions, many of them developed in close collaboration with schools. 

This exhibition-focused approach continued under his successor Adelbert Van de Walle from the 1950s onwards. Through initiatives such as the Nationale Salons voor Modern Sociaal Meubel, the museum became a leading platform for affordableBelgian modern design and applied arts. In 1958, the museum closed for the extensive restoration of Hotel De Coninck, a project that lasted until 1973. 

From the mid-1970s onwards, curator Lieven Daenens opened a new chapter in the museum's history. He revitalised thecollection by focusing on Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Italian Postmodernism, while acquiring important works by Belgian design pioneers including Henry van de Velde, Philippe Wolfers, Albert Van huffel, Pieter De Bruyne and Piet Stockmans. 

The museum's collecting policy also broadened significantly, embracing contemporary industrial and experimental design alongside traditional craftsmanship. This vision continued under director Katrien Laporte, who oversaw the acquisition of the exceptional archive and collection of Maarten Van Severen. 

Today, the museum continues to strengthen its historic holdings where necessary while focusing on key Belgian andinternational works. More than 120 years after its foundation, the collection remains a living source of knowledge, inspiration and new perspectives on design.