The Maarten Van Severen Collection

His work holds a special place within our walls. In 2020, his family donated his estate to the City of Ghent. Since then, we have been preserving the majority of his objects, ranging from furniture and furniture components to unique prototypes. Together with the pieces we already owned and the targeted acquisitions we have made since, we manage the largest and most important Maarten Van Severen collection in the world. His design archive, containing the original design drawings, photographs and correspondence relating to all his projects, is housed with our colleagues at Archief Gent.

Design Museum Gent is the international point of contact for anyone with questions or wishing to study the work of Maarten Van Severen.

In collaboration with art centre Drop City, we are currently preparing a major exhibition that will be presented in Milan in 2027 and at Design Museum Gent in 2028. That same year, we will also be putting the finishing touches to a catalogue raisonné. In addition, we are breathing new life into the Maarten Van Severen Chair. This chair is a collaborative initiative between Heritage Maarten Van Severen, KASK/School of Arts, Archipel and Design Museum Gent. Previous editions have featured inspiring masterclasses and workshops led by internationally renowned figures such as Erwan Bouroullec, Alfredo Häberli, Aldo Bakker, Francesca Torzo and Glenn Martens, for students from Belgium and abroad. We look forward to adding a new chapter to this story.