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.
Mention of heritage in Antwerp immediately puts us in mind of the cathedral or a painting by Rubens. But the Reuzenstoet (Giants’ Parade) or an ancient tree are also part of our heritage, and the same is true of everything we have built up over the centuries in our society.
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.
CLOSED - The Belgian philosopher Jaap Kruithof (1929-2009) collected 10,000 items, things that other people usually discard. Half of the Kruithof collection - which was donated to the MAS - was given a new life thanks to the visual work of artists Guy Rombouts and Benjamin Verdonck. In the MAS, they created a new installation with the objects.
On the banks of the river Scheldt, strange and battered figures do regularly wash up. They dream of a second chance and are building a Travelling Reserve for Scheldt jetsam. On display from 3/05 until 22/08/2021.
This conference, strongly linked to the theme of the MAS exhibition 'Antwerp à la carte', aimed to increase our awareness of food systems as dynamic cultural phenomena. The conference took place between 21-23 September 2022.
The Saulus tableau depicts a Biblical scene: on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus, the Roman Saul, persecuting Christians, is blinded by a lightning bolt and thrown from his horse. This tile tableau of over 1 by 2 metres has 98 tiles in majolica, colourful and glazed earthenware.
Just beyond the MAS lies the dry dock site: nine non active dry docks, former workshops for ship repairers, a pump house which is now a protected monument ... It now houses the MAS vessel collection.
Book a guide and visit the exhibition with your group. Experience the power, philosophy, and beauty of martial arts from around the world. From kung fu to capoeira, from kickboxing to Nguni stick fighting—both well-known and lesser-known martial arts are featured.
The MAS collection comprises approximately 2,400 objects related to the poesjenelle tradition, originating from the former Folklore Museum: rod puppets, stage props, signs, theatre programmes and photographs. We also have rod puppets from other theatre traditions and a number of hand puppets.
