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Tuah Mangiring

How are indigenous Batak belief systems preserved and transmitted today, and what challenges do the communities that practise them face? What meanings are held by the Batak artefacts ulos/uis, pustaha and tunggal panaluan within their communities of origin, and how has this changed over time?

What we preserve

The MAS collection consists of more than 500,000 objects about art, cultural traditions and history of the city and port of Antwerp. But also of Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Oceania.

Boulevard and panorama

The Boulevard spirals upwards through nine floors like a glass spiral. It treats you to a magnificent view of the city, getting higher and higher, changing constantly. The rooftop panorama offers a 360-degree view of the city, the harbor, and the world.

Study painting First entry of Napoleon to Antwerp

Napoleon's visit to Antwerp in 1803 was a high point for the city on the Scheldt.  Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napoleon's wife, ordered a painting to immortalise the entry. This is a preliminary sketch for that.

8 x dance in the collection

FREE ENTRANCE | From October 25, 2025, dance is the starting point in the Visible Storage for delving into the MAS collection. Eight people from dance communities in Antwerp rummaged through the depots together with the curators. 

Prayer and piety

The inscriptions found on three Aceh war flags in the ‘Christoffel Collection’ offer insight into the context in which they were created, characterized by an interplay between warfare, religious duty and piety.

‘Cask hood’ of an alembic

This ‘helmet’ is indispensable in illustrating the history of distillation in the Low Countries. In various 16th and 17th-century engravings and paintings, you can see how vapours were cooled down and converted into liquids in a helmet like this. In Belgium, we do not know a second one like this.

“Luc Tuymans. Glasses” group tour

Discover Luc Tuymans’s portraits with a guide

Take a closer look at these iconic works and experience first-hand how your appearance changes when you add or omit glasses.

'MAS in Young Hands' publications

Since 2006, the museum has been researching methodologies for youth participation in museums. 2 analyses formed the basis for 'MAS in Jonge Handen'. After the 'Instinct' exhibition in 2019, the MAS looked back on the process and shared all its experiences in a brochure.

Pop-up tattoo shop in “Body Art” exhibition

During the “Body Art” exhibition, you can see tattoo artists at work in a real tattoo shop or get your own exclusive tattoo.