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City at war. Antwerp, 1940-1945

What does it mean to live in an occupied city? What choices did city residents make: flee, cooperate with the occupier or resist? The expo shows the impact of WWII on Antwerp and its inhabitants. What would you do? You'll find out together with the guide.

20 years 'Flemish Masterpieces Decree'

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.

Mystical Marriage of Christ

2 stained-glass windows

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.

 

The Averbode altarpiece

In the centre of this altarpiece, those close to Christ are mourning his death, and above in miniature, we see Christ again, but alive and in the limbo of Hell. Below, each of the three women are depicting a virtue: Faith, Hope and Love. When the altarpiece is closed, you can see the tortured Christ being shown to the people on the left, and on the right, Jesus being offered a sweat cloth by Veronica.

A glimpse of the collection

FREE ENTRANCE | The MAS collection numbers almost 600,000 pieces. Part of it can be admired in the exhibitions, the rest is carefully stored in various depots. In the free accessible Visible Storage, you can take a peek behind the scenes. Varied and surprising partial presentations provide a constantly changing view of the collection. 

Actual loans

In the MAS, you can see the world. Or at least part of it, because the world also wants to see the MAS. After all, the extraordinary pieces in the MAS are often of great interest to other national and international museums. The MAS regularly receives requests for temporary loans of objects. And we are happy to do so. The pieces from the MAS collection can be found not only in Antwerp, but all over the world.

MAS tour for non-Dutch-speakers

On this tour, you'll learn the story behind this exceptional building and its collections and exhibitions. Experience the encounters that the river and the port have brought about for centuries.

Book a guide via Experience Antwerp. 

World city | About here and elsewhere

17.05.2011 - 28.02.2016

CLOSED - In 'World city' you could be charmed by the numerous stories and anecdotes that Antwerp is rich in. A must for every Antwerp citizen so that he could become even prouder of his city, a must for every non-Antwerpian so that he finally understood the fuss around this world city.

Painting by Van Bree on the list of Top Pieces

The painting 'Entry of Bonaparte, as First Consul, into Antwerp on 18th July 1803' by Mathieu Ignatius Van Bree was added to the list of Top Pieces by the Flemish Government. The large oil painting hangs in the Palace of Versailles, an identical work in a small format belongs to the MAS collection.

Discover the collection

Antwerp is a port city where the world has been mooring at the docks for centuries. The MAS collection is the place where city and world meet. 500,000 exhibits offer a varied perspective on the city and its age-old contacts with the world. Some of them are displayed in permanent and temporary exhibitions, but most are kept in storage. In the Visible Storage area, the MAS lifts a corner of the veil. For the really inquisitive, the MAS also has its entire collection on display online.