CODART aims to bring together individuals from all types and sizes of museums, with the goal to promote and encourage the exchange of expertise, works of art and exhibitions of Dutch and Flemish art worldwide. It works to raise awareness of the artistic heritage of the Low Countries internationally, by supporting the curator in his profession, by expanding knowledge about Dutch and Flemish masters, and by making their works visible and accessible to a large international audience.

CODART organizes various network opportunities, such as annual congresses, CODARTfocus meetings and study trips. Each congress is devoted to a theme illustrating the spread of Dutch and Flemish art in the world or a topic of current interest. Congresses were held in London, Madrid, Paris, Warsaw and Berlin, among others. CODARTfocus meetings concentrate on a special exhibition or research subject and took place in Vienna, New York, Yasnaya Polyana (Russia), and Budapest among others. For a complete list of previous CODART congresses, study trips and meetings, see CODART Events.

In addition to in-person network opportunities, the CODART website provides essential information for and about curators. We also offer members the opportunity to publish on CODARTfeatures, an online publication with new articles appearing monthly.

Through its expansive website, CODART provides the public with the most comprehensive portal on the internet to Dutch and Flemish art in museums. The website identifies and provides information about all the museums in the world with significant collections of Dutch and Flemish art. The website also has a calendar and archive of exhibitions on art from the Low Countries.
The scope of information on www.codart.nl is unique. Visitors to the site can sign up for a free e-mail Notification Service that informs them about the opening and closing dates of exhibitions and other events, as well as about news on acquisitions, job changes and other museum information concerning Dutch and Flemish art.

No, CODART is not equipped to do research of this kind. For appraisals, you should consult a reputable art dealer, appraiser or auction house. For the attribution of Dutch and Flemish art objects or questions regarding unknown date or subject of an art work, the RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History in The Hague offers an evaluation service. You can also inquire at the nearest museum in your area if it offers this type of service.

According to our many active members, CODART has provided a unique platform for curators of Dutch and Flemish art. The annual congresses have added a personal dimension to the contacts between colleagues that has enhanced their pleasure in their work as well as increased their efficiency the year round. At the congresses a number of significant discoveries have been made, thanks to the sharing of information among specialists. Bilateral plans and strategic alliances have come into being that would not have existed without CODART. Our study trips have helped to bring peripheral collections close to the mainstream of the museum world. A number of special exhibitions have come into being only because CODART decided to visit a particular museum. Museum curators from Central and Eastern Europe have been enabled to increase dramatically their possibilities for contact with colleagues in the west and with each other. The website is a model resource of its kind. For a complete list of previous CODART congresses, focus meetings and study trips, the participants and the network supporting them, see CODART Events.

In the words of the Netherlands government Arts Council (the advisory board for culture to the Dutch government): “CODART plays a seminal role in the […] field of Dutch and Flemish art. Through its activities, CODART makes an important contribution to research into Dutch and Flemish art, opening up collections and bringing curators of collections together. […] CODART makes a significant contribution to the government’s internationalization policy, which strives – among others things – towards greater mobility of collections.” Thanks to cooperative ventures within the CODART network, a number of exhibitions have been conceived and implemented in various countries, and these have drawn many visitors.