The Van Gogh Museum has collaborated with the Dutch high-tech company ASML since 2019. This partnership focuses on scientific research, technology and Van Gogh’s quest to find light and colour.
ASML identifies with Van Gogh’s drive to innovate, his fascination with light, and his strong connection with Brabant. The company actively addresses social issues, including the preservation of cultural heritage for future generations.
This collaboration brings together innovation and heritage, so that Van Gogh’s art can continue to inspire, both now and in the future.
The Van Gogh Museum and ASML are committed to ensuring the best possible care for the world’s largest collection of works by Vincent van Gogh. Thanks to new research techniques and the resulting insights, we are always learning more about Van Gogh.
The museum collaborates closely with ASML engineers on the development of the new ASML Science Center: an institute where ASML’s advanced technology and expertise are used to help preserve Vincent van Gogh’s masterpieces and to better understand his artistry and choice of materials.
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ASML and the Van Gogh Museum developed the Condition Assessment Scanner (CAS), which was presented to the museum in April 2026. This scanner produces 3D renderings of paintings with a previously inconceivable level of precision and speed.
The scanner uses advanced sensors to detect tiny cracks long before they are visible to the naked eye. A future version of the scanner will also be able to detect minuscule colour changes. This information is highly valuable to the museum’s conservators, who meticulously document the condition of the works, including before and after transport. The new scanner represents the next generation of art preservation.
Want to learn more about the CAS and how it works? A display about this innovation will be on view in autumn 2026.
‘I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.’
Vincent van Gogh, August 1885
The partnership between the Van Gogh Museum and ASML also focuses on enabling educational activities. In this way, they discover just how innovative Vincent van Gogh was with paint, colour and light.
Van Gogh’s investigative and exploratory attitude was key to his craftmanship. Together with ASML, we want to encourage and stimulate this attitude among students by supporting and further developing educational materials for young people from primary and secondary schools, their teachers and families.
The partnership between Van Gogh Museum and ASML is highlighted in a prominent location in the museum. The gallery dedicated to his early work, including the masterpiece The Potato Eaters (painted in Nuenen in 1885), is named the ASML Gallery.
The village of Nuenen, situated in the Dutch province of Brabant and not far from ASML’s headquarters, was the place where Vincent van Gogh made his artistic breakthrough and where he became one of the most innovative painters of his generation.
The ASML Gallery at the Van Gogh Museum. Photo: Tom Elst