The Kröller-Müller Museum is the life's work of Helene Kröller-Müller. Between 1907 and 1922, she and her husband Anton Kröller purchased nearly 11.500 works of art: one of the largest private collections of the twentieth century. Helene dreams of a “museum house”, a place where she can share her love for art with everyone.

The museum designed by Henry van de Velde is what she wanted it to be: with small, intimate spaces and soft overhead light, a 'museum house' as she also calls it, where visitors can get close to the art. The building is made of masonry and is almost completely closed, in order to have as much space as possible for the many paintings.

After her death in 1939 and after the Second World War, Bram Hammacher became the new director of the Kröller-Müller. He introduces sculpture to the museum as a counterpart to Helene's collection of paintings. The museum will be expanded with a sculpture gallery and an auditorium, also designed by Van de Velde. In contrast to the private character of the rest of the building, the sculpture gallery has walls that consist entirely of glass and offer a wide view of the wooden area.