MUSEUMS IN ANTWERP IN 2025
Antwerp's museums have a lot to offer again this year. In this press kit, you can find an overview of the exhibitions taking place in 2025.
MAS
COMPASSION
31.01.2025 - 31.08.2025
Feeling or showing compassion is peculiar to human beings and takes many forms. This expo explores how it is portrayed across time, cultures and philosophies, including in works by Breughel and Géricault. Contemporary works by Ai Weiwei, Khaled Barakeh, Berlinde De Bruyckere, Stephan Vanfleteren and Lieve Blancquaert add a layer of critical interpretation.
In what ways do we show our compassion? What drives us to do this? Who do we see as good examples? And what if the viewpoints clash? Or if the ideals are not feasible? The expo 'Compassion' is about man's need to help others. It is a hot topic socially. The MAS invites its visitors to reflect on the sometimes uncomfortable questions raised by the theme.
RED STAR LINE MUSEUM
Happy Family
30.01.2025 - 04.05.2025
The Chinese community in Antwerp is one of the oldest and largest in Belgium. It plays an important role in the city's local business and cultural life. Close to Central Station, on Van Wesenbekestraat, there is Chinatown, where there are plenty of Chinese restaurants, supermarkets and cultural centres.
In the 'Happy Family' expo, the museum turns the spotlight on this community and in particular on the Chinese entrepreneurs in the Antwerp hospitality sector. Visitors are introduced to three Chinese restaurant families via interviews and archive materials, and via new work from photographer Vincent Beeckman. The expo also features work by three Belgian artists (Sarah Yu Zeebroek, Atang and Yingda Dong) and one international artist (Von Hyin Kolk), all with Chinese roots. Their artwork reflects on the presence and influence of Chinese migrant entrepreneurs in the hospitality sector.
DIVA MUSEUM
Secret, sacred & scattered
27.02.2025 - 30.03.2025
From 27 February until 30 March 2025, discover the unique results of the most recent residency period at the DIVA Museum. Between September and December 2024, three exceptional jewellery designers worked in the DIVA atelier and their vision is brought to life in this captivating expo:
- Maria Konschake examines the role of memory and recollection in the forming of our identity.
- Into Niilo creates politically charged art, often with whimsical and hidden messages.
- Laila Marie Costa explores the relationship between found objects and the human body, combining humour with moral questions.
Silver Triennial - A unique look at international silver design
04.07.2025 - 30.09.2025
From 4 July until 30 September, 2025, the DIVA museum brings the Silver Triennial to Antwerp. Since its inception in 1965, this triennial competition, organised by the German Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst and the Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus Hanau, has grown to become the leading competition for contemporary silver design.
For this 21st edition, the latest trends in international silverware once again take centre stage. DIVA is the only museum in Belgium to host this touring expo and, thanks to a complete in-house scenography, it is a unique experience.
FOMU - PHOTOGRAPHY MUSEUM
Lee Miller in Print
28.02.25 - 06.08.25
Model, war correspondent, photographer and surrealist: Lee Miller (1907-1977) was all of these. As one of the rare well known female photographers of the first half of the 20th century, she makes an important contribution to photography. Lee Miller in Print is the first solo exhibition of Lee Miller's work in Belgium.
In the 1930s, Lee Miller is part of the surrealist circles in Paris. She produces commercial photographs for fashion magazines in her studio. Sometimes she also steps in front of the camera. As a former model, she knows better than anyone how to pose.
During and after World War II, as a photographer and war reporter, she captures many important moments. Quite remarkable for a woman: this kind of work was usually reserved for male photographers.
Lee Miller's diverse, layered and often personal oeuvre appears in well-known magazines such as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Life Magazine and avant-garde artist magazines. Her photographs also appear in publications from the allies such as The War Illustrated and Cadran.
MUSEUM VLEESHUIS
Tower Tunes: a small expo about big sounds
From 14.03.2025 in the Town Hall
For the people of Antwerp, the magnificent cathedral tower is a symbol of their eternal pride; for visitors, it is a unique example of Gothic architecture. For centuries, the belfry tower was the primary means of communication between the city and its inhabitants. Flags, clockwork, chimes and carillon music - time and again, Antwerp’s tower was the loudspeaker for the City.
Museum Vleeshuis will continue to organise guided tours of the cathedral tower in 2025: visitors will have a chance to see the bells close up, learn all about the carillon and enjoy a spectacular view of the city. With Museum Vleeshuis temporarily closed for restoration work, the tours will not start at the museum, but at the Town Hall. Using some pieces from the extraordinary music collection of Museum Vleeshuis, visitors are introduced to the tower in all its functions, as belfry, music box, clock and protected UNESCO heritage. The mini-expo 'Tower Tunes: a small expo about ‘big sounds' can be visited for free in the Town Hall during opening hours.
MOMU - Fashion Museum
Fashion & Interiors. A Gendered Affair.
29.03.2025 - 03.08.2025
This exhibition explores the relationship between fashion and interiors from a gender perspective. In the nineteenth century, women played an important role as 'beautifiers' of themselves and their homes. With comfort in mind, they decorated the interiors with soft cushions and textures, draped fabrics, handicrafts and all sorts of little trinkets. Their bodies were adorned with layers of fabrics and decorative trimmings. With this, they often seemed to merge, or even threaten to disappear, inside their interiors.
That visual fusion took a thoughtful form when a few male designers, including Henry van de Velde, ventured into designing women's clothing. They matched architecture, furniture, decoration, clothing and accessories to create a total work of art. In the exhibition, contemporary creations by Maison Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester, Raf Simons and Hussein Chalayan, among others, offer a reflection on the historical relationship between interiors and fashion.
MUSEUM PLANTIN-MORETUS
Impressive women (working title)
13.09.2025 - 11.01.2026
Christopher Plantijn did not raise his daughters for a life in the shadows. He involved them as well as he could in the family's trading activities. Later on, other notable women in the family went a step further. At just seventeen, Martina Plantijn was already running the family’s international lace business. Anna Goos took over the helm after her husband's death, piloted it through a financial crisis and smoothly continued its operation. Maria Theresa Borrekens who, after the death of her husband, also proved to be a gritty business leader with a determined character.
RUBENSHUIS
Enchanting tulip splendour
April 2025
In the early 17th century, everyone wanted them: tulips in the garden. At that time, tulips were a true symbol of luxury and wealth. Rubens also loved them. He even painted them in The Walk in the Garden. This spring, step into his masterpiece as 1,000 historic tulips in the Rubens House's renovated garden bloom for the first time. A delight for the senses and a cross-pollination between past and present. Why was this place so important to Rubens? How did tulips cause a stock market crash in 1637? And what do you know about the Antwerp tulip scam? The Rubens House clears it all up for you this spring. Visit the garden and the many activities.
MUSEUM MAYER VAN DEN BERGH
A heartfelt farewell to an exceptional collection
22.03.2025 – 27.04.2025
Museum Mayer van den Bergh is expanding and, as from 27 April, 2025, it will be closed for several years for renovation. The adjacent Court of Arenberg - the former residence of the Mayer van den Bergh family - will become part of the museum; the current museum building is undergoing an extensive restoration. Everyone is welcome to come and bid goodbye to the museum and the presentation of the collection in its current form. From 22 March until 26 April 2025, the museum presents a special farewell programme including Bruegel lectures, creative workshops, focus tours, slow art sessions, dates with your favourite work of art, information about the museum of the future and a spectacular farewell party on Saturday 26 April, so that fans and visitors can experience collector Fritz Mayer van den Bergh's extraordinary collection once more in a unique way.
Public favourites. 43 personal stories from the Mayer van den Bergh collection (working title)
20.06.2025 - 09.2027
Museum Mayer van den Bergh is closing temporarily for renovation work, but part of the collection will remain visible. On 20 June 2025, the exhibition Public Favourites opens in the Maagdenhuis.
In this exhibition, 43 Antwerp residents - from well-known and lesser-known figures to schools, associations, artists and regular visitors - choose a work of art from the collection and share their personal story. The result is a surprising and intimate look at Fritz Mayer van den Bergh's extraordinary collection. From Pieter Bruegel's iconic Dull Gret to the moving sculpture Jesus-John group, each artwork takes on a new meaning. The number 43 is symbolic: Fritz died at that age, and it had special meaning for his mother Henriëtte. In Public Favourites, 43 unique voices let this number live on. An unmissable chance to discover many of the museum's masterpieces in a new way!
MIDDELHEIM MUSEUM
75 years Middelheim Museum
As from spring 2025
Loyal visitor or coming for the first time? Throughout the summer, everyone is invited to discover the Middelheim Museum, together with others or alone. The Middelheim Museum offers an active and attractive programme with prominent guests. Come and draw. Come and read. Let go. On Saturday 17 May, the museum kicks off the summer festively with Bal Populaire.
Loyal visitor or coming for the first time? Throughout the summer, everyone is invited to discover the Middelheim Museum, together with others or alone. The Middelheim Museum offers an active and attractive programme with prominent guests. Come and draw. Come and read. Let go. On Saturday 17 May, the museum kicks off the summer festively with Bal Populaire.
HENDRIK CONSCIENCE HERITAGE LIBRARY
Prestigious Nottebohmzaal opens during summer 2025
This summer, the stunning Nottebohmzaal, situated in the Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library in the heart of Antwerp, will once again be open to the public. Visitors will have a unique chance to admire this historic library space, known for its impressive architecture and extraordinary book collection.
From 1 July until 15 September, visitors will have the opportunity to explore Nottebohmzaal on their own and enjoy its unique atmosphere. It is a rare chance to take a look inside this atmospheric space, which is normally only open to the public during special events and tours.Furthermore, in 2025, the public can also enjoy a new series of Nottebohm lectures, a range of activities and ad-hoc guided tours.
KMSKA
In 2025, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) is going to present no fewer than three major exhibitions, alongside various shows in the prints room and in the 19th-century halls. Visitors can look forward to prominent names such as René Magritte and Marthe Donas, get lost in the whimsical world of Panamarenko, or embark on a captivating nocturnal journey past the intriguing sculptures of Hans Op de Beeck. Furthermore, the Studio Rubens restoration project is reaching new heights; visitors can again look forward to a surprising programme during KMSKA LAAT on Thursday evenings and new guided tours have been added to the permanent offerings.
A full overview is available in the press release below:
M HKA
The Situation is Fluid
25.1.2025 - 3.1.2027
With The Situation is Fluid, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp is focusing on the renewal of their collection presentation. It features some 30 top works by Flemish artists, including artists who live and work here (past or present) - such as Marcel Broodthaers, Panamarenko, Luc Tuymans, Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven, Otobong Nkanga and Laure Prouvost - as well as artists who have a connection with Flanders, such as Marlene Dumas, Jimmie Durham, Gordon Matta-Clark and Nicola L. They are placed in dialogue with international artists from the Flemish Community's collection, such as Cady Noland, Barbara Kruger, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Taus Makhacheva and Shilpa Gupta.
The collection presentation starts with the post-war avant-garde in Antwerp and uses the past as a platform to understand the multipolar world of today and the future, with the three collection perspectives (image, action and society) as guiding factors.
SNIJDERS-ROCKOX HOUSE
Wanderlust: ancient landscapes in a new perspective
13.12.2024 – 31.08.2025
The Snijders&Rockox House possesses an extraordinary collection of landscapes and cityscapes, with masterpieces from the 16th and 17th centuries. From early idealised panoramas by Joachim Patinir to the baroque grandeur of Jan Brueghel the Elder, this series of paintings reflects the development of a popular genre. These master works, many of which have been stored in the depot for many years, offer a valuable glimpse at the art of landscape painting.
In this temporary collection presentation, painted landscapes unfold as a vibrant spectacle. Nature takes the leading role, with majestic mountains, picturesque villages and endless skies creating a dramatic backdrop. Whether desolate or filled with people and animals, each painting becomes a carefully orchestrated scene in which light and shadow intensify the emotions and tensions. How realistic are these vistas? Or do they appear to have sprung entirely from the painter's imagination? Usually, the answer lies somewhere in between. Each work invites close admiration, offering a chance to reflect and to lose oneself in another reality.
MUSEUM DE REEDE
Dürer in Antwerp - Master works on paper from the KBR collection
6.12.2024 – 31.01.2025
On 2 August 1520, Albrecht Dürer came to Antwerp. He was welcomed there like a celebrity. The beautiful engravings, woodcuts and etchings he had brought to the market in the past decades made his name and his work well-known all over Europe. Dürer was considered as the most important printmaker of his time even while he was still alive.
This exhibition offers a broad overview of Dürer's graphic work, sourced from the extensive collections of the Royal Library of Belgium.
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