Charles Esche headed the Van Abbemuseum for twenty years. The Museum Is Multiple documents this period (2004–2024). Through this catalogue, the Van Abbemuseum shares with the world its reflections on power structures and plurality and the way in which it has striven to embed its role in relation to these two aspects within its curation and exhibition.
In terms of book design, contemporary museum catalogues are generally speaking pretty staid – and this is particularly true of catalogues on museums and their collections as such. Seen in this light, The Museum Is Multiple is a surprisingly refreshing book. The use of colour, choice of materials and typography allow the multiplicity of the material to shine through in this multifaceted overview. The crisp blue and gloss finish of the dust jacket contrast well with the brown, fibrous paper used for the cover and the endpapers and the frequently uncoated paper in the interior. These brown pages serve as markers throughout the book, separating the chapters from one another. The different types of paper also serve the contents – from photos to conversations and essays. All told, we have here a catalogue which is well-balanced enough to be recognisable as such, but which stands out from the crowd thanks to the clarity of the choices made.