A cobra is indeed a dangerous snake, but here the word Cobra is derived from the French names of the cities of Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam. The artists who founded the CoBrA group during a major international conference held in Paris in 1948 came from these three European capitals. A curled snake became the symbol of the movement.
The museum has a major collection of key works by artists of the CoBrA group (1948-1951) as well as work by their Dutch contemporaries, including artists of the Vrij Beelden (1945) and Creatie (1950-1955) movements. The museum collection is regularly supplemented by acquisitions and gifts. Works from the collection are on permanent display.