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.
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.
V-bombs hit Antwerp hard in the winter of 1944-45. The blast at Cinema Rex was the deadliest bomb strike in history. The City at War exhibition features a large V1 practice bomb, surrounded by small, personal souvenirs. They show how deeply the attacks affected the lives of residents.
Together with the MAS, theatre producer, writer and actor Dimitri Leue gathered stories from the collection and the city for the new exhibition 'Listen'. He wrote a compelling audio play that you can listen to in the exhibition. Tine Embrechts plays the role of Kameleonie.
Military violence and mass persecution of Jews and dissenters during World War II broke the city. Personal stories and objects make this period very tangible in this new permanent MAS exhibition.
An object leaves on a trip to another museum, another undergoes research. Or a special piece is recognised as a Flemish Masterpiece. Or our collection expands.
The MAS started digitizing its collection of thousands of slides. These slides that used to be projected with a magic lantern, are finally seeing the light of day again.