The Kessels Museum’s collection consists mainly of the musical instruments, workbenches and tools collected in 1939 by Jan Passier, one of the factory’s employees.
In 2010, a large part of the collection he had assembled was donated by the Passier family (in particular Mrs Passier-Menne, who died in 2022) to the Musical Instrument Makers’ Museum Foundation (now the Kessels Museum).
The collection has been designated as part of Tilburg’s heritage by the municipality of Tilburg. The collection is still regularly expanded through donations from third parties. At the Kessels Museum, you can view a wide range of instruments. The manufacture and use of Kessels instruments are also demonstrated to you in a surprising way.
In the museum galleries, you can follow Kessels story about:
- The timeline from 1815 to 2022
- The factory, featuring a reconstruction of the historic factory;
- The instruments made by Kessels ;
- The activities of the Kessels publishing house/printing works;
- The keyboard loft and the Music Lab.
Donations and loans
Kessels Museum seeks to expand its core collection in various ways. Instruments can be offered. The important thing here is that objects must be in good condition and not yet in the collection. Objects that add value to the collection but are not in good condition are restored in our own workshop or by third parties. Donations of objects are only accepted if the object to be donated fits within the criteria of this collection plan. Donors first sign a proof of issue/preliminary donor form. After acceptance/acceptance, a donation deed with the following stipulations is agreed. The donor also receives an official letter of thanks on behalf of the Kessels Museum Board.
Restoration workshop
The Kessels Museum also has its own restoration workshop staffed by skilled craftsmen who restore instruments. Do you have an instrument that needs repairing or restoration?
Please get in touch with the experts at the Kessels Museum. Send an email to atelier@kesselsmuseum.nl for more information.
