For the first time, the City of Antwerp‘s public art collection has been made digitally accessible. Thanks to this new online collection database, everyone can now easily access and study this unique collection of artworks.
Since 12 January 2026 lovers, residents, and visitors to the city can (re)discover the nearly 300 public artworks Antwerp boasts with a single click. The Art in the City or Kunst in de Stad collection database contains photos, basic information, and a short explanatory text about each artwork in the collection.
This describes how each piece came into being, what story or theme it represents, and the artist who created it. This concise ‘biography’ of each artwork reveals how art in the public space is always intertwined with city history, artistic visions, and social developments.
Themes and districts
The collection database consists of an alphabetical overview of all artworks and a city map with detailed locations marked. In addition, there are thematic and geographical subsets and walking suggestions.
The chosen themes allow the collection to be viewed through different lenses. For example, there are the clusters ‘Animal and Folklore Sculptures’, the subset ‘Who’s Who?’ which brings together the many statues of historical figures, and ‘War and Peace’, dedicated to the remembrance of armed conflicts and the importance of peaceful coexistence. There is also a subset of contemporary artworks that demonstrates that the Art in the City collection continues to grow and develop, just like the city itself.
The geographical subsets are organized around the city’s ten districts and show which artworks are located in which neighborhood. There is also a handy overview of the collection items in the Stadspark and along the right bank of the Scheldt as a guide for walks. Many other thematic and geographical walking suggestions may be added in the future.
Lien Van de Kelder (Vooruit), Alderman for Culture: “Art in the City literally and figuratively makes people pause. There are no barriers: it’s free and accessible to everyone, and it brings people together. I’m delighted that our impressive and unique public art collection is now also available digitally through the online database. After all, the more Antwerp residents know about the many art treasures in our city, the better. I hereby invite everyone to physically discover Art in the City in Antwerp’s many neighborhoods and parks and be inspired or moved.”
Collection-driven approach
It hasn’t been since 2001 that a publicly accessible overview of the many works of art, statues, and monuments in Antwerp’s public spaces has been created. The publication ‘Cityscapes of Antwerp in 2001‘ by Antoon Van Ruyssevelt represented an important first step in mapping this unique cultural heritage.
In 2019, a major new step was taken with the establishment of Art in the City as a subsidiary of the Middelheim Museum. This initiative focuses on the museum management of the city’s collection of art in public spaces.
Art in the City is the first initiative in Flanders where works are given a place and meaning in public spaces as fully-fledged works of art. In addition to the art collection itself, Art in the City also manages a digital and analog archive and an open-air storage facility at the Middelheim Museum.
As part of the collection registration, photographer Kristien Daem was commissioned to document the entire collection. Daem is a sought-after photographer, both nationally and internationally, of artworks and exhibitions, as well as architecture. This expertise has now been applied to the visualization of the nearly 300 public artworks in Antwerp.
Art and museums in Antwerp
- ANTWERP | What if colours could sing? KMSKA presents ‘A Red that Sings. Masterpieces by Ensor, Wouters and Schmalzigaug’, from 11 April to 30 August 2026.
- RED STAR LINE MUSEUM | ‘Drifting Belgians’, the incredible journey of the ghost walkers, until 30 August 2026.
- ANTWERP | ‘Martial Arts’: MAS exhibition explores the rich world of combat sports and martial traditions.
- REVIEW | ‘The Antwerp Six’ exhibition at the Antwerp fashion museum MoMu.
- ANTWERP | Museum Plantin-Moretus’ ‘Plantin’s Plants’ exhibition until 2 August 2026.
- FOMU 2026 | Carrie Mae Weems, Diane Severin Nguyen, Families, and Tenderly There by Tashattot.
- ANTWERP | M HKA opens new season with exhibition on censorship and artistic resistance.
- ANTWERP | Climb the Cathedral of Our Lady tower.
- ANTWERP | Rubens House appoints two design teams.
- ROYAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS ANTWERP | ‘The Fall of Alba’s Citadel. Image and Memory in Turbulent Times’, from 6 February to 17 May 2026.
- Antwerp’s municipal museums surpass 2 million visitors in 2025.
- ANTWERP | KMSKA schedules ambitious exhibition programme for 2026, featuring international masters such as Antony Gormley, Philip Aguirre y Otegui and Ossip Zadkine.
- Museums of the City of Antwerp look ahead to 2026.
- REVIEW | ‘La ligne de vie’ René Magritte exhibition at Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA).
- REVIEW | ‘Universal Tongue’, on dance, at Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS) until 4 January 2026.
- 2028 to be Music Year in Antwerp.
- ANTWERP | Museum Mayer van den Bergh opens exhibition ‘Public Favourites’, from Mad Meg to Delft Blue, look at art through other people’s eyes.
- ANTWERP | Graphics Museum De Reede ft. Francisco Goya, Edvard Munch, Félicien Rops and Albrecht Dürer.
- ANTWERP | Rubens Experience and Rubens Garden at Rubenshuis.
- ANTWERP | Innovations in the Middelheim Museum provide a completely new visitor experience.
- A visit of the Flemish Tram and Bus Museum – Vlaams Tram- en Autobusmuseum (VlaTAM) in Antwerp.
- ANTWERP | Discovering queer(ed) art with the Queer Tour at the KMSKA fine arts museum.
- REVIEW | Illusion Antwerpen, an active and photogenic museum.
- Antwerp museums and sports facilities team up with European Disability Card for accessible leisure activities.
- Museum Mayer van den Bergh.
- ANTWERP | Inside Rubens House.
- Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp.
- ANTWERP | Museum Vleeshuis up for restoration.
- BOOK | ‘Antwerp. An Archaeological View on the Origin of the City’ by Tim Bellens.
- Red Star Line Museum.
- Paleis op de Meir.
- DIVA, Antwerp Home of Diamonds.
- ANTWERP | Red Star Line Museum of (e)migration.