An object leaves on a trip to another museum, another undergoes research. Or a special piece is recognised as a Flemish Masterpiece. Or our collection expands.
The Antwerp Hand biscuits are the most well-known tourist souvenir from the city. In the MAS collection, we find many packagings of the biscuits. However, behind the scenes of the little biscuit, there is more than one story to tell.
Except for a dozen or so loans, all the pieces on display in the exhibition come from the MAS collection. The objects have been chosen for what they portray, their significance or their (historical) story.
FREE ENTRANCE | Maria Nijs assembled 200 precious dolls, made in Europe between 1830 and 1930. From her remarkable collection, MAS acquired eleven of these dolls. A painting of Maria with her favorite dolls, created by her father, is also part of the MAS collection. The 11 dolls, together with the painting, can be admired in the Visible Storage starting June 9.
In 1890, the painter Louis van Engelen depicted a crowd of Belgian emigrants moving across Antwerp’s Nassau Bridge to the district of Het Eilandje towards a ship. The resident population watches them pass by.
What is valuable must be protected. That is the logic of the Flemish Masterpieces Decree. Since the creation of this decree in 2003, just about 1,000 objects and collections have been recognised and protected as masterpieces. Through decree, the government also strengthens public collections by acquiring important masterpieces.
In 2024, we selected a dental collection to perform a valuation on. There was no knowledge within the MAS about the provenance and history of this collection. It was not clear whether these objects had a place within the collection plan.
Book your ticket in advance to ensure that you can visit the museum on your chosen date. When the maximum number of visitors is reached, we can not give you access to the museum without reservation. Book your ticket here.
