The Cobra group of young artists and poets from various European countries believed that everything had to be done differently. After the horrors of the Second World War they wanted, with their art, to contribute to a new and better world. They tried to go into their artistic creation process as open-mindedly as a child, always ready to experiment.

Even though the results of Cobra’s experiment were initially loathed by many, embracing ìt turned out to be a successful path for the artists involved. Most of them had a flourishing career, and the movement itself has become an integral part of European art history.

Although the often naive-looking depictions of animals, children and hybrid creatures, that characterise part of the Cobra art and clearly come from another time, the Cobra Museum strives to show that the values behind the Cobra movement are timeless. Feeling free enough to challenge existing conventions in order to create a better world for all is no less relevant in 2020 than it was in 1948. People are still subjected to constricting labels or unequal treatment, and societies still need refreshing perspectives and ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking to be renewed.