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.
The exhibition '100 x Congo' focuses on one hundred unique Congolese works.What are the stories behind the Congolese objects? And how did they end up here? What was their significance to various Congolese peoples? And where lies the future of the collection?
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.
The XIIth North Sea History Conference in 2017 seeks to involve maritime museum professionals and academic scholars, to generate knowledge and present new findings about the maritime culture of the North Sea region.
In the multimedia project 'In many hands' twenty-five people shine their light on the Congolese collection of the city of Antwerp. They speak about an object of choice from the one hundred highlights in the exhibition.
CLOSED - ‘Sacred Places, Sacred Books’ brought Rome, Mecca and Jerusalem to Antwerp. You discovered the differences and similarities between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. More than 200 works of art, historical and religious treasures were on display.
A photography project by Heleen Peeters. She immersed herself in the horse (meat) culture around the world. The photographs raised questions: What determines the status of the horse? How is it that traditions change? And what if the same thing happened to other animals?
Feeling or showing compassion is typically human and has many sides. The expo shows how we portray this in different times, cultures and worldviews. And also, what its abrasive sides are.
