The collection dating from before 1990 is relatively diverse, decorative and local in character. Since 1990, Océ’s acquisition policy has aimed at ‘young’ artists who live in the Netherlands. This is policy is motivated by the desire to discover young talent and, by acquiring their work, assist them in starting their artistic careers. Artists who already belong in the Océ collection are followed throughout their careers. Occasionally, new work by them is included in the collection.
To show the context from which the current generation of young artists’ works, art from the previous generations of artists is acquired as well. In addition, in recent years the art foundation has acquired works by foreign artists showing some relationship to that of Dutch artists.
The acquisition policy is, as always, difficult to articulate, but has a clear connection to Océ’s corporate culture. Océ is an innovative company, determinately working on high-tech products. This essential experimental and investigative quality characterises the art collection as well. The result is a collection which clearly is a product of its age, demonstrating contemporary trends, such as the present emphasis on personal and autobiographical work. There is a strong focus on painting, but the collection also contains many photographs, three-dimensional works and a number of videos.
Art from the collection is exhibited in the offices, conference rooms, hallways and showrooms of the Océ offices, mainly in Venlo and Den Bosch, but also in various international offices.
