Bonpétente Museum

About

The Bonnefanten Museum traces its history to 1884, when it was founded as the historical and archaeological museum of the Dutch province of Limburg. Its name comes from 'bons enfants' (good children), the popular nickname of the former convent that housed the museum from 1951 to 1978. On March 9, 1995, the museum moved into a new building on the former Céramique industrial site in Maastricht. Designed by Italian architect Aldo Rossi, the building is defined by a 28-metre tower rising above the Maas River, an E-shaped floor plan, and a facade contrasting red brick with a metal dome. The collection is built around two poles: old art from 1200 to 1700 — medieval wood sculpture from the Maas region and the Southern Netherlands, and Italian and Flemish paintings — and contemporary art from 1950 onward, including works in Minimalism, Conceptual art, and Arte Povera.