KMSKA, THE FINE ARTS MUSEUM OF ANTWERP: TICKETS AND ARTWORKS

The KMSKA, Antwerp’s Royal Museum of Fine Arts, finally reopens to the public. After 10 years, it is back to show the world its seven centuries of art in a new refined and contemporary guise.

The KMSKA has a precious heritage, is the only museum in Flanders with an Academic Institute and has a history that goes back to the end of the 19th century. It has a history that goes back to the late 1800s. However, it has always been a forward-looking place and this latest renovation project takes it into the future.

Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp tickets and artworks

KMSKA
Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen
Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Belgium

MUST-SEE WORKS AT THE KMSKA, THE FINE ARTS MUSEUM IN ANTWERP

From September 2022, the KMSKA, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, will reopen its doors to the public and it will once again be possible to admire its collection of works of art, which includes masterpieces dating from the 14th to the 20th century and which are of international importance.

The KMSKA’s collection is considered to be one of the world’s leading collections of Flemish paintings, but works from the Baroque period are also of great importance, right up to the extensive collection of modern art.
The permanent exhibition includes around 650 works among the more than 8,400 paintings, sculptures, works on paper and objects.
A huge and very important heritage, on which important restoration and conservation work was carried out during the years when the museum was closed to the public.

Among the numerous masterpieces are those by: Simone Martini, Antonello da Messina, Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Jean Fouquet, Hans Memling, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, James Tissot, James Ensor, Henry Van de Velde, George Grosz, Amedeo Modigliani, Günther Uecker, Rik Wouters and René Magritte.
Inside, the rooms are not arranged in chronological sequence, by artist or style: the works are shown with a variety of dynamic and stimulating thematic perspectives.

The organisation of the collection has been conceived by dividing the works from before 1880 in the historic building and the works from after 1880 in the new section. James Ensor, whose collection at the KMSKA is the most important in the world, is the link and will be present in both places.

The KMSKA, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, is not only a place to admire an outstanding collection of artworks but also a place of cultural production and where artists can find inspiration. With this in mind, twenty-two contemporary artists were involved in the artist residency project, which involves direct contact with the collection for a period of five years in order to draw inspiration from the old masters and to create works in different artistic fields: painting, sculpture, texts, music, images and performances.

RENOVATION OF THE KMSKA, THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS IN ANTWERP

The major renovation and refurbishment project of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, which necessitated the closure of the museum’s halls in 2011, has seen the reconstruction and extension of some areas, with work taking place in several stages over the years.

The ambitious project to renovate the building covered all parts of the museum, starting with the exterior, with the restoration of the façade and roof with a skylight and sunscreen, the creation of a new mosaic at the entrance, the creation of a garden and the transformation of four historic courtyards into museum spaces. It is precisely this last change that has made it possible to increase the exhibition area by 40% and to create a new museum wing, characterised by the predominance of white and in which daylight illuminates the rooms.

Numerous renovations have been made to the interior rooms, which have been restored to their former glory. The floors have been preserved as much as possible, the walls have been renovated and the frames of the Rubens and Van Dyck Rooms have been finished in gold.
There are also rooms in the contemporary art spaces that host external loans and temporary exhibitions.

WHERE TO GET TICKETS TO VISIT THE KMSKA, THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS IN ANTWERP

2022 is therefore the year of the great return to the cultural and artistic scene of the KMSKA, Antwerp’s Royal Museum of Fine Arts, which promises to have great potential and an extremely dynamic structure, perfectly in line with the soul of its host city, Antwerp.
So all we have to do is wait for the new opening of the KMSKA and in the meantime keep an eye on the museum’s website to book your tickets.