Search

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.

MAS acquires LGBTQ+ heritage

The MAS has been able to get hold of a few pieces from gay bar Café Strange at an auction. This way, a bit of the bar of Antwerp's icon and café owner Armand in the Dambruggestraat is preserved for the future.

Harbour cranes

The MAS' largest and most impressive collection pieces can be seen on the Scheldt quays. And just in front of the MAS, you almost bump into the showpiece of our collection.

An excellent herb cake

A venison hotchpotch

Small waffles called bastoncelli

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.

Ancient Glass

Publication of an extraordinary collection

The ancient glass collection is one of the hidden gems at the MAS. It's part of a valuable glass collection numbering nearly 700 objects. For the first time the subcollection of ancient glass is published in a comprehensive catalogue.

City at war

Antwerp, 1940 - 1945

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.