The exhibition brings together more than 150 objects across 5 themes. Behind each object lies a unique story. We give you a selection of remarkable pieces.
The MAS exhibit, 'Cool Japan', took you on a whirlwind tour of the global fascination for Japanese visual culture with icons such as Hello Kitty, Zelda and Sailor Moon.
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.
Japanese fashion also has a global impact. The exhibition showed how Japanese avant-garde fashion from the 1980s is still alive and well. Visitors were also exposed to Tokyo's colourful Cute Fashion.
The ancient glass collection is one of the hidden gems at the MAS. It's part of a valuable glass collection numbering nearly 700 objects. For the first time the subcollection of ancient glass is published in a comprehensive catalogue.
In 1873, the Antwerp Museum of Antiquities purchased a 16th-century retable of the Averbode Abbey, depicting the Lamentation of Christ. 150 years later, it is given on long-term loan to the abbey and thus returns home.
Le Corbusier (1887-1965) was an architect who believed that the way a city is built can improve the lives of its residents. He drew up plans for Antwerp-Linkeroever that were never completed and he built an entirely new city in India called Chandigarh. This exhibition immerses you the ideas of Le Corbusier, but also lets you saunter through the streets of Chandigarh and take a look behind Linkeroever’s façades.
The MAS collection contains a number of beautiful stained-glass windows from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Two of the rare intact examples are listed as Flemish masterpieces: rather large stained-glass windows from around 1600 depicting the Mystical Marriage of Christ.