Interior Henry van de Velde

Jens Thiis, director of the museum from 1895, was radical in his approach and was the driving force for making a collection of modern arts and crafts from the turn of the century. His particular interest in Art Nouveau is the reason the museum has a room designed in its entirety by Belgian architect Henry van de Velde in 1908. Henry van de Velde (1863-1957) was a pioneer, making a break with old styles. The office interior houses several of his iconic furniture pieces. The room is today, after a restoration based on van de Velde's original drawings, a Gesamtkunstwerk, i.e. a complete art work in the spirit of the designer.