About

In 1985, Marianne van Tilborg founded Lumen Travo Gallery in her own apartment, above the Athenaeum Bookstore on Spui. From the outset she described it not so much as a conventional commercial gallery but rather “a salon where different disciplines meet.” Theatre‑makers, musicians, filmmakers and fashion designers would come through in the early days alongside visual artists.

Seven years later the gallery relocated to Paulus Potterstraat (opposite the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam), and in 1995 it established itself at its current venue on the Lijnbaansgracht, a canal in the centre of Amsterdam surrounded by other contemporary art galleries and cultural spaces. This area has become a lively and important part of the city’s art scene, offering a more publicly visible face to the gallery’s identity.

Under van Tilborg’s direction, Lumen Travo developed a reputation for presenting international and non‑Western‑based artists, often engaging with issues of identity, post‑colonialism and global art dialogues. The gallery has been instrumental in introducing artists such as Shirin Neshat, Otobong Nkanga, Monali Meher and Meschac Gaba to the international contemporary art network.

By proposing strong and different artistic views – which are not limiting themselves to the solely perspective of the West – Lumen Travo carries on a visual conversation with eyes, heart and mind open to the whole world.