Experience

Antwerp museums autumn and winter 2023 overview

Posted by Timothy on

The City of Antwerp looks ahead to the exhibitions in the autumn. Culture lovers can visit DIVA for a jewellery procession and a silver competition. The Museum At the Stream (MAS) commemorates World War II with the poignant new permanent exhibition. The Red Star Line Museum is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a big family weekend and Museum Vleeshuis is also celebrating with a parade of a city drummer. 

The MoMu explores the intimate connection between clothing and memories. The FOMU shows work by James Barnor. The MAS and Museum Plantin-Moretus together show more than 100 masterpieces from Flemish collections, while  Museum Mayer van den Bergh engages in conversation with contemporary artists.

The Jewellery

3 August – 26 November 2023. DIVA | Museum of diamonds, jewellery and silver.

One hundred years ago, De Jeweelenstoet took place in Antwerp. The procession was organized by the diamond industry to emphasize Antwerp’s important role as the world’s diamond capital. It was a great spectacle with 15 floats, 2000 extras, a lot of exotic animals and a wealth of expensive jewellery. More than 1 million people flocked to the city to watch the procession. Even the royal family came to watch.

From 3 August to 26 November, come and soak up the atmosphere of this three-day jewel parade from 1923. On the basis of (large) images of floats, videos of the crowd on the Grand Place, original program booklets, commemorative booklets and newspaper articles, the visitor will discover why this procession is unforgettable in the history of Antwerp.

Silver Triennale: exhibition for contemporary design

26 August 26 – 8 October 8 2023. ​DIVA | Museum of diamonds, jewelery and silver.

From 26 August, DIVA presents the 20th edition of the Silver Triennial. This is the international competition for contemporary silver. The traveling exhibition shows the best entries from this triennial competition and is organized by the Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst in Hanau in Hesse, in Germany.  

The expo is taken over from the Goldschmiedehaus Hanau, but in DIVA it gets its own face and presentation. The exhibition is aimed at lovers of design, art and contemporary (silver) work, but also at makers of contemporary silver.

DIVA.

City at war. Antwerp 1940-1945

From 8 September 8 2023. MAS.

On September 8, 2023, ‘City at war. Antwerp, 1940-1945‘ in the MAS. This new permanent exhibition shows the impact of the World War II on Antwerp and its inhabitants. The city was hit particularly hard: Nazi terror, the persecution of the Jews and military violence left at least 25,000 dead. 

The exhibition brings the society of that time to life with symbolic places such as a cinema, a school, a house, the cathedral and the town hall. There, personal stories and objects from Antwerp residents make the war and the dictatorship tangible. They are stories of division, powerlessness, betrayal, violence, but also of courage, resistance and help. They are stories you will never forget.

MAS.

10 years Red Star Line Museum

30 September 30 – 1 October 1 2023. ​Red Star Line Museum.

The Red Star Line museum celebrates its tenth anniversary on the weekend of September 30. The museum welcomes the general public for an exuberant dance party in the 1920s style, where lindy hop and swing will conquer the dance floor. But that is not everything! The festive weekend offers a varied program for everyone, including the most vulnerable families.

The festive weekend offers a richly filled program for families with a boat race, family walks, guided tours for families without language barriers, toddler tours, buggy tours and many creative workshops. A world brunch, food trucks and drinks cannot be missed during the party. An exhibition with portraits by photographer Koen Broos puts one donor in the spotlight for each of the museum’s ten years in existence.

Red Star Line Museum.

PARADE, focus expo and soundscapes

28 September 2023 – 7 January 2024. ​Museum Vleeshuis.

Antwerp never was and still is: fanfare music from kiosks, piano sounds through open windows, accordion music from emigrants, dance organ tones from cafes, songs from street singers, all mixed with everyday city noises. In the autumn of 2023, visitors to Museum Vleeshuis will stroll through the Antwerp of the past (and now). Soundscapes – specially created by the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp and the Study Center for Flemish Music – bring the sounds of the city to life. 

A small focus presentation shows a parade of historic brass instruments from the collection of city drummer Jean Bocklam, a recent gift to the museum. Along the way you will also encounter the Antwerp music kiosks. And of course all those city sounds come to life during the Wednesday Sounds concert series, which focuses on wind instruments.

Butchers’ Hall.

ECHO. Shrouded in memory

14 October 2023 – February 25 2024. ​MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp.

ECHO explores the intimate bond between clothing and memory through the eyes of three artists linked by the tactile and emotional intensity of their work: artist Louise Bourgeois, designer Simone Rocha and choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.

Baloji Augurism

21 October 2023 – April 14 2024. ​MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp

This fall, the MoMu Gallery will be transformed into a place of magical realism: the intriguing world of Baloji. The exhibition is inspired by his latest feature film ‘Augure‘ and the accompanying albums and gives us a new perspective on his artistic work.

MoMu.

James Barnor

26 October 2023 – 10 March 2024. ​FOMU

This autumn FOMU presents the first major retrospective of the Ghanaian-British photographer James Barnor (°1929). This exhibition reveals both the versatility of his practice and his mastery of the medium

James Barnor’s exhibition at FOMU not only highlights Barnor’s rich career, but also the cultural connections between Accra, London and Antwerp.

Her Voice (working title)

27 October 2023 – 10 March 2024. ​FOMU

The exhibition Her Voice (working title) brings together an international group of artists who were inspired by the Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman (1950-2015).

In 1975, Akerman shot to fame with ‘Jeanne Dielman‘, ‘23‘, ‘Quai du Commerce‘, ‘1080 Bruxelles‘, a key work of feminist avant-garde cinema. Nearly fifty years later, her work is as topical as ever.

The exhibition shows how Akerman’s personal approach, radical ideas and feminist criticism live on in contemporary art. With work by leading photographers such as Frida Orupabo, Joanna Piotrowska, Collier Schorr, Manon de Boer, Gabby Laurent and Carmen Winant.

FOMU.

Rare and indispensable | ​100 masterpieces from Flemish collections

28 October 2023 – 25 February 25 2024. MAS.

Magritte, Bacon, Ensor, Moore, Jordaens, Rubens… These are just a few of the world-famous names that will be on display at the MAS this autumn. The unmissable exhibition ‘Rare and indispensable‘ presents a unique selection of masterpieces that you would otherwise have to cross all of Flanders for, or that are never even publicly accessible. And that in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the Flemish decree on masterpieces.

Eye-catchers

From 31 October 2023. ​MAS.

In the new exhibition ‘Eyecatchers‘ in the free Kijkdepot, 16 Antwerp residents give their view on the collection. In each display case you can see what they consider to be a masterpiece from the MAS collection. Because a masterpiece is something different for everyone. 

A visit to the Kijkdepot is such a nice addition to the exhibition ‘Rare and Indispensable’, which takes place on the third floor. There you can admire almost 100 pieces that have been recognized by Flanders as ‘Top Pieces’.

Conversations

10 November 2023 – 3 March 3 2024. ​Museum Mayer van den Bergh

For the exhibition ‘Conversations‘, contemporary artists enter into conversation with the collection of Museum Mayer van den Bergh. Between the centuries-old paintings, the modest sculptures and the exuberant altarpieces, contemporary works of art temporarily enrich the museum presentation. 

Fifteen artists were inspired by Pieter Bruegel‘s Dulle Griet, the portraits of Cornelis De Vos and Alessandro Allori, still lifes by Antwerp masters such as Daniël Seghers, works by Jacob Jordaens, Joachim Patinir, Gerard de Lairesse, and other masterpieces. The result is a surprising dialogue between historical and contemporary masters, presented in the atmospheric interior of Museum Mayer van den Bergh: an intriguing blend of old and new.

The Conversations exhibition. 15 contemporary artists in conversation with the collection of Museum Mayer van den Bergh shows new and existing work by Bram Demunter, Marcel Dzama, Adrian Ghenie, Kati Heck, Leiko Ikemura, Edward Lipski, Jonathan Meese, Ryan Mosley, Inès van den Kieboom, Muller Van Severen, Tobias Pils, Ben Sledsens, Dennis Tyfus, Rinus Van de Velde, Tal R. ​In collaboration with Tim Van Laere Gallery.

Dulle Griet.

From scribbles to carton | Drawings from Bruegel to Rubens

17 November 2023 – 18 February 18 2024. Museum Plantin-Moretus.

With this exhibition, the Museum Plantin-Moretus shows the 80 most beautiful old drawings from Flemish collections. The whole forms an astonishing and representative overview of how and why people drew in our region in the 16th and 17th centuries. 

The masterpieces from the museum’s own collection form the basis of this exhibition, but they are supplemented with complementary masterpieces from other Flemish public and private collections. It is a unique opportunity to see a few of the greats side by side, such as the sketchbook of the 12-year-old Rubens, the 10-metre-long panorama of Zeeland by Antoon van den Wijngaerde and the extremely rare Italy sketchbooks by the sculptor Pieter Verbruggen. 

And in addition to big names such as Frans Floris, Pieter Bruegel, Anthony Van Dyck or Jacques Jordaens, the beautiful and rarely shown sheets of lesser-known artists such as Jan van Stinemolen, Hans Collaert, Pieter van Lint, Godfried Maes and Jan Erasmus Quellinus are a surprising discovery.

Museum Plantin-Moretus.

From waffle to cake

26 December 2023 – 6 January 6 2024. Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library.

Baking shows the heart of a food culture. In her latest book ‘From waffle to cake‘, Regula Ysewijn shares the recipes and history of festive pastries from the low countries. 

There are waffles and winter breads for the twelve days of Christmas, pancakes for Candlemas and Carnival, pretzels for Lent, flan and fried buns for Christmas and all the spicy delicacies that immediately remind us of Sinterklaas and Sint-Maarten. 

Many recipes come from the 17th-century Brabant cookbook from the Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library. This will be shown in the prestigious Nottebohmzaal especially for Christmas. Expect a delicious expo with the occasional sweet surprise!

Hendrik Conscience.

Art and museums in Antwerp