De Ateliers is an international institute for the talent development of young visual artists, founded in 1963 by artists, for artists. De Ateliers offers some twenty young and emerging artists a studio for two years within a professional working environment, alongside intense mentorship by prominent artists and art professionals.

During this two-year residency, individual studio practice, experimentation, research, reflection, exchange and discussion are central. De Ateliers adheres to the notion that the professional development of emerging artists benefits most from practice. Participants therefore have their own private studio, where they can work 24/7. Every Tuesday, they engage in individual studio discussions with visiting artist tutors.

In addition to this intensive mentorship, which is at the heart of the programme, De Ateliers organises a series of artist talks and exhibitions. It also provides several technical workshops for communal use, technical assistance and administrative support. As an internationally acclaimed institute for artists, De Ateliers is financially supported by the Ateliers Support Fund (ASF) and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OC&W), alongside other funding bodies. Participants of De Ateliers receive financial support in the form of a production grant, made possible by Ammodo Art.

For the first thirty years of its existence, De Ateliers was based in Haarlem: from 1963 to 1971 at the former military barracks at the Koudenhorn 2, then until 1992 at the Sint Jozef monastery at the Zijlsingel 6. In 1992, De Ateliers was offered the opportunity to buy the former Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten building at Stadhouderskade 86, which had recently moved to its new premises at Sarphatistraat 470.

The monumental building at the Stadhouderskade was designed by the city architect at the time, Bastiaan de Greef, in Eclectic style. Its construction was completed in 1875. In the 1920s, the interior of the building was partly renovated in Art Deco style, with the original imperial staircase making way for the current imposing staircase with five flights and four landings. The original plan of the building was symmetrical, but several extensions have since been added, including an exhibition space at the back of the structure designed by Gerrit Rietveld in the 1950s.

The building is a national monument: it was the first building of its kind in the Netherlands to be constructed specifically for the purpose of the higher education of visual artists, a function it continues to serve today. Historic features of the building include the horse rein rings in the former back entrance, the clay basins in the basement, and the ‘The Artist and the Muse’ reliefs by Frits van Hall beside the main entrance.

De Ateliers is a foundation ('Stichting Ateliers 63') with ANBI status, led by a managing director and overseen by a supervisory board.

The mission of the Ateliers Support Fund (ASF), founded in 2005, is to raise funds in order to safeguard the continuity of the work of De Ateliers.