Artists archives
The RKD manages about 200 archives of Dutch artists such as Piet Mondrian, Jeanne Bieruma Oosting and Armando. These personal archives may contain correspondence, personal papers such as passports and certificates, correspondence, diaries and notebooks, work and project files, but also information connected with membership of societies, items recording participation in exhibitions, sales books, texts of lectures and presentations, sketches and preparatory studies, photos, videos, sound recordings, invitations and other printed ephemera.
Search the archives
The RKD manages more than 900 archives. They can be found in RKD Research in the RKDarchives database.
Request an archive
You can view archive material in the RKD study room in The Hague.
Donating archive material
The RKD regularly acquires new archives from both private persons and institutions. Would you like to donate archive material or supplement our library?
Besides archives of artists, the RKD has a great many that belonged to gallery owners, art dealers, art societies and collectors, conservators and other art-world figures. These archives also contain much correspondence with artists and other documentation relating to specific artists. This archival material offers much important information about the life and work of artists as well as the networks they enjoyed.
Dozens of new acquisitions are added to the collection every year: some are gifts from artists, scholars and galleries, but purchases are also made, for example when important artists’ letters turn up. Some archives have already been inventoried in detail, while others have not yet been fully catalogued and will contain undocumented material. Detailed information about archives can be found via RKD Research.