MUSEUM OF BAGS AND PURSES

Description

Essentials about the Museum of Bags and Purses in brief

Dear gentlemen of creation: This museum was something for your better halves (coming along is of course expressly allowed). In German, the name “Tassenmuseum” is absolutely misleading, because Dutch “Tassen” are not drinking vessels but bags. With more than 5,000 handbags, shoulder bags, suitcases and wallets, the Tassenmuseum Hendrikje (Museum of Bags and Purses) was the world’s largest collection of bags and one of only three specialized museums in the world devoted exclusively to this subject.

The history of the Museum of Bags and Purses

The Museum of Bags and Purses grew out of the private collection of Hendrikje Ivo, an antique dealer from Amstelveen, just outside Amsterdam. About 35 years ago, her passion for collecting bags of all kinds began with the acquisition of a special example made of tortoise shell with mother-of-pearl from the beginning of the 19th century. Over the years, Hendrikje Ivo’s collection grew to over 3,000 bags, which is why she decided to make them available to the public. Since 2007, the Museum of Bags and Purses was located in a beautiful 17th century patrician house on Amsterdam’s Herengracht.

The collections of the Museum of Bags and Purses

The collections wer divided into the time periods 1500 to 1700, 1700 to 1800, 1800 to 1900, and the years 1900 to 1950, 1950 to 2000, and 2000 onwards. From medieval bags to design classics by Chanel, Gucci, and Versace to Madonna’s ivy-ankled handbag that she wore at the movie premiere of Evita, the museum showcased the 500-year history of different types of bags, their great diversity in materials and design, and the underlying social and societal developments.

If so many bags put you in a buying mood, you found pieces by Dutch and international designers in the museum store. In addition, the beautiful museum café was known for its high tea (which can be enjoyed without visiting the museum).

The closure of the Museum of Bags and Purses

Why is this article written in the past tense? Because in 2020, as a result of the Corona pandemic, the Museum of Bags and Purses found itself in a very difficult financial situation and could no longer continue to cover its costs. This made the Bags Museum the first cultural institution in the Netherlands to permanently close its doors due to the Corona pandemic.