Experience

500,000 visitors for Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp in 2024

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After a successful opening year 2023, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp or Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen (KMSKA) has attracted more than five hundred thousand visitors in 2024. 

The exhibition James Ensor‘s ‘Wildest Dreams. Beyond Impressionism‘ has emerged as the absolute crowd puller. But the exhibition about Jef Verheyen, the impressive permanent collection and the much-loved nocturnes every Thursday evening also continue to attract many enthusiasts.

“With more than half a million visitors in the second year after the reopening, we are very pleased. The museum has exceeded all expectations. With a varied programme, we reach a broad, diverse and above all enthusiastic audience”, Luk Lemmens (N-VA), chairman of the board at KMSKA and First Deputy of the Province of Antwerp, says. 

Ensor as highlight, Jef Verheyen as pacesetter

“2024 was the Ensor year. 75 years after his death, the high visitor numbers prove that this groundbreaking artist still strongly appeals to the imagination. The exhibition Ensor’s ‘Wildest Dreams. Beyond impressionism’ at the KMSKA welcomed no fewer than 221,100 visitors in 2024. And the final sprint has yet to begin. The wonderful world of Ensor will run until 19 January. On Saturday 18 January, the ‘Longest Ensor Day‘ will take place at the KMSKA. The exhibition will be open from 8 a.m. to midnight. Ideal for those who have not yet seen the exhibition or would like to relive it”, Luk Lemmens says.

Earlier in the year, modernist Jef Verheyen already laid a strong foundation for the new visitor record. During the period of the ‘Jef Verheyen. Window on the Infinite‘ exhibition attracted 150,000 visitors. The modern master’s first solo exhibition in his hometown of Antwerp was well received both at home and abroad.

Trusted tastemakers

“The dynamic collection presentation also continues to appeal to visitors, as do the creative activities and artistic events of the KMSKA. For example, the nocturnes of KMSKA LAAT on Thursdays always surprise with a mix of art, performances, lectures, music, dance, etc. With which they attract not only a loyal group of Antwerp art lovers but also many new visitors. Thanks to the changing programme with Artists in Residence and cultural partners from various artistic domains”, Carmen Willems, general director of KMSKA, says

Panamarenko, Hans Op de Beeck, Magritte and so much more in 2025

With a challenging exhibition calendar and a growing number of collaborations, 2025 also promises to be a special year. In the spring, ‘Panamarenko. Infinite Imagination‘ will take over the print room. 

On 22 March, ‘Hans Op de Beeck: Night Journey‘ will start. In the first major exhibition of this internationally renowned artist for the KMSKA, the artist takes the visitor through a nocturnal landscape of sculptural fictional scenes.

In the 19th-century rooms, contemporary works from private collections will enter into dialogue with the Old Masters from April. From May, the print room will confront works by De Stijl from Amsterdam with the Modern Art Circle from Antwerp.

The museum will continue this steady pace in the autumn, with an exhibition on Eugeen van Mieghem and the prestigious exhibition ‘Donas, Archipenko & La Section d’O’. Enchanting Modernism‘. 

This focuses on the oeuvre and the important role of Marthe Donas, one of the first female cubists in the world. ‘Magritte. La ligne de vie‘ finally closes the year: an intriguing exhibition in which René Magritte acts as his own curator.

Art and museums in Antwerp