The Royal Academy for Fine Arts existed 350 years in 2013. At the same time, the renowned Fashion Department turned 50. That is why the whole of Antwerp was dominated by the Academy and the clash between contemporary artistic "violence" and historical heritage.
The exhibition '100 x Congo' focuses on one hundred unique Congolese works.What are the stories behind the Congolese objects? And how did they end up here? What was their significance to various Congolese peoples? And where lies the future of the collection?
Since 2012, the Mestizo Arts Platform (MAP) collective has been maintaining and renewing the Altar of Antwerp: a participatory installation that invites us to reflect on the meaning of 'what we have lost' in the city. This has been a part of the MAS' permanent collection since 2017.
100 X Congo features one hundred highlights. What stories are hidden behind the objects? How did they end up here? What did they mean to Congolese peoples?
For the exhibition 'Postcolonial?' at the House of European History in Brussels, the MAS is lending an artefact from Mayan culture. It is an object from the collection of Paul & Dora Janssen-Arts.
On the square in front of the MAS, you literally walk around on world-quality art. A huge mosaic by one of Antwerp’s most fascinating living artists, Luc Tuymans, occupies the Hanzestedenplaats.
The exhibition “Breedbeeld” in the new art hall sheds new light on Bruges as a metropolis from 900 to 1550. MAS contributes to this prestigious inaugural BRUSK exhibition with a unique ivory masterpiece from the African collection, as well as a cast of a 9th‑century stern ornament.
Pierre-Yves Kairis (b. 1958) is a doctor of art history at the Université de Liège. He was closely involved in the restoration of “The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine,” a painting by Michaelina Wautier.
Like previous years, in 2020 the MAS has a lot to offer with impressive Congolese art, a V-bomb in the pavilion, boats in the boulevard and a new interpretation of the viewing depot.
Like previous years, in 2020 the MAS has a lot to offer in 2020 with impressive Congolese art, a V-bomb in the pavilion, boats in the boulevard and a new interpretation of the viewing depot.