[6] The museum's collection of modern art includes works by international artists (Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Egon Schiele, Frank Stella, Lee Bontecou, Henri Le Fauconnier and many others) and Dutch artists (Constant, Vincent van Gogh, Johan Jongkind, Pyke Koch, Piet Mondriaan, Charley Toorop, Jan Toorop, and many others).

[11] In 2021 and 2022 exhibitions have included Portuguese painter Paula Rego, Basque fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga and English potter and artist Grayson Perry.

"[17] The final result was "not a pompous temple of art ... but a [museum of] simple, sober and accessible appearance; not imposing but inviting.

"[18][17] Nevertheless, this sober and accessible appearance was not to the liking of all early critics, more familiar with museums in the grand classical style.

[20] This dual consideration was so summarised by one newspaper: "There is little to admire on the outside of Berlage's final creation, but on the inside there are many attractive features, and in general the whole complex of rooms creates the pleasant, calming and intimate feel.

[21] Although the building appears constructed from distinctive yellow bricks, Berlage was enthusiastic about the possibilities of modern materials, such as reinforced concrete.

[19] Newspapers also reported "all kinds of ingenious installations" as part of the modern design of the building – the warming, the ventilation and the lighting on the facade were all innovations for museums of the time.

[26] Later directors of the association included the artists Philip Sadée, Hendrik Willem Mesdag, Jacob Maris, Salomon Verveer and Johannes Stroebel.

[28] The museum was to be on the street called the Korte Beestenmarkt, in the centre of The Hague [29] Within a few months, it had been visited by Queen Wilhelmina.

[30] It included paintings such as Jan van Goyen's View of The Hague from the South East,[31] now in the Haags Historisch Museum.

[32] The museum collection continued to grow through the later parts of the nineteenth century, outgrowing the space at Korte Beestenmarkt.

In 1883, the curators asked the council for funds for the refurbishment of the St Sebastian building in Korte Vijverberg, a short distance from the original setting for the museum.

Additionally, the original merging of two collections (of older, and contemporary art) confused the purpose and presentation of the museum.

[35] Within a couple years of his appointment, van Gelder presented ideas to mayor and council of The Hague for a new building for modern art.

[36] The First World War delayed any formal decision, but by 1918, the city council not only decided to approve van Gelder's ideas, but establish a Department for Art and Science (in Dutch: Dienst voor Kunsten en Wetenschappen) to give continued government support.

He worked with van Gelder to devise this new cultural complex for The Hague, based on a site on the Stadshouderlaan, a little to the north west of the city centre.

[35] Berlage's more modest design of 1922 were also rejected, and the council cooled on the overall idea of a set of buildings with multiple cultural purposes.

The main speaker, Margery Corbett Ashby, spoke of her "admiration for the building, which represented the modern life of a great city".

[42] The museum was noted for its progressive attitude to women's art: the original layout included a room dedicated to female artists (such as Coba Ritsema and Ina Hooft), an unusual decision at the time.

Van Gelder had the advantage of a new storage area under the museum – Berlage's concrete framework offered reliable protection.

The German invasion happened in a few days; the Dutch surrender and cessation of fighting meant that the artworks could quickly be reinstalled, with the paintings replaced in their frames.

Exhibitions such as "Still Lifes and Flowers from 30 Contemporary Painters"[46] and one dedicated to the Dutch artist Frans Helfferich were shown.

The year after it was reported that Knuttel had taken honourable resignation from his position;[49] in reality he was forced into a prisoner of war camp for refusing to work with the Nazis.

[48] Soon after the war, the Gemeentemuseum appointed its first female director, Victoria Hefting – one of the first women to assume such a position in the Netherlands.

"[51] Perhaps most striking under her leadership, the Gemeentemuseum extended its international ambitions, an important point of connection after the divisions of the Second World War.

Her staff organised exhibitions on the Dutch proto-impressionist Johan Barthold Jongkind that received positive reviews for illuminating French - Dutch connections in the development of 19th-century art,[52] on Danish sculpture and architecture,[53] the Belgian artist James Ensor,[54] Norwegian art,[55] and even the German poet and writer Goethe.

In the museum's ongoing acknowledgement of the place of women art, Hefting especially commissioned needleworkers to recreate the hanging designs in the room.

Four years later a large-scale Mondrian exhibition was organised: the first to ever give a wide review of the artist's work from his early nature pieces and his development towards abstraction.

For too long, in Wijsenbeek's opinion, the fixed collection of the museum had been moved about to make space for temporary exhibitions.

[67] The flow of exhibitions continued - including the iconic presentation of Mondrian-inspired dresses designed by Yves St Laurent - but other problems beset the museum.