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6 highlights from the exhibition

Objects in the exhibition

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.

Small souvenirs of a great disaster

Memories of December 16, 1944

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.

Pictures by Raoul Van Den Boom

Thousands of unique images from photographer Raoul Van Den Boom show the artistic and social life in Antwerp between 1950 and 1980. Some photographs from the immense collection are now on display, some others can be viewed digitally.

Saulustableau

The tile tableau from 1547 is a rare witness to early majolica production in Antwerp, a typical Renaissance phenomenon. The Saulus tableau is a piece of indispensable cultural heritage for Flanders.

 

Art at the exhibition

In addition to work by 18th-century artist Katsushika Hokusai, known as 'the Rembrandt of Japan', contemporary art was also well represented in the exhibition.

Yiddish advertisement

Antwerp was a particularly popular port of emigration among Jews from Central and Eastern Europe. These people constituted a sizeable proportion of the Red Star Line’s passengers. The shipping company recruited its “customers” from deep within Eastern Europe.

Small waffles called bastoncelli