Our story
We preserve and exhibit Haarlem’s art
OUR FOUNDATIONS
The Frans Hals Museum is Haarlem’s museum of fine arts. It offers a collection that combines international renown with local roots. We preserve and exhibit Haarlem’s art for local residents and visitors now and in the future. Our museum is named after Frans Hals, an innovative artist with an exceptional eye for the humanity of his subjects. These are the foundations we’re building on.
OUR VISION
The Frans Hals Museum strives to bring together diverse people and artworks. We aim to provide inspiration, as well as a place where art, artists and the public can meet. We serve the community and work with it, both inside and outside the walls of our museum.
OUR HISTORY
The city of Haarlem started acquiring and exhibiting high-quality art 400 years ago. The city’s collection has been managed, exhibited and enlarged ever since. This includes the largest selection of Frans Hals paintings in the world. In 1913, the entire collection was moved to the former Old Men’s Alms House on Groot Heiligland, which became the Frans Hals Museum. Here, you can find famous artworks by Frans Hals along with other pre-modern, modern and contemporary art. The Frans Hals Museum has been collecting and exhibiting contemporary art since 1913.
