Belgium has one of the greatest artistic legacies in Europe, so it’s no wonder the country’s museums and galleries always have hugely exciting art exhibitions planned. Pleasingly, 2024 has been no different.
It’s not just the capital city which deserves the attention of art-lovers either. There are brilliant blockbusters across the country still open in these final months of the year.
So here are five stand-out exhibitions in Belgium — in three different cities — you should see as soon as you can.
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Exhibitions in Brussels
MULTITUDE | at MIMA — the Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art
This is a solo exhibition by Portuguese graffiti and street artist Alexandre Farto — aka Vhils.
Vhils' work can be seen in city streets across the globe, and this show is about our relationship with urban centres.
Spread across the MIMA, visitors encounter wall carvings, billboards, cityscapes, videos and installations. In the very top floor gallery there's a creepy installation of satellite dishes that aims to make you think about how interconnected — and monitored — we all are, all of the time. There's also a brand new work on the ground floor carved directly into the gallery's fabric, seemingly permanently.
But it's not just for the art you should visit — it's also because it's your last to experience MIMA as it's their very final exhibition. They announced this autumn that after nine years, and 400,000 visitors, they would be closing for good. The blame is placed on ongoing street works outside the venue which has decimated visitor numbers. Go while you can.
Drafts: From Rubens to Khnopff | at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
How is a work of art created? That's the question at the heart of this exhibition that's devoted to sketching and the way a work of art goes from a 'draft' vision to the finished article.
The show features over 100 artworks ranging from the 15th to the 19th centuries (with a small 'foray' into the 20th century). Some have never been publicly displayed before. Items from some of the world's most famous artists are featured, such as a model by Alexander Calder, an oil painting by Delacroix, and numerous sketches made by Peter Paul Rubens.
It's an opportunity to delve into a part of the artistic process that's often a mystery. This show aims to bring it into the light, sometimes literally. A highlight here shows how infrared technology shows us the underlying drawing of Rogier van der Weyden's 1441 work Pietà , illuminating how the painter executed a drawing on the oak panel before applying the paint.
Now open until 16 February 2025
Exhibitions in Antwerp
In Your Wildest Dreams: Beyond Impressionism | at Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA)
This is the biggest of dozens of exhibitions across Flanders in 2024 celebrating the revered Impressionist artist James Ensor, and marking 75 years since his death.
Visitors dive into Ensor's wonderful universe of wild visions, masks and satire, in what is a huge show — in fact it's the biggest Ensor exhibition in Belgium this century. It's at KMSKA, or the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, which holds the largest and most diverse collection of Ensor works in the world, and many of their masterpieces are on display here.
These can be seen alongside some of Ensor's greatest contemporaries and inspirations. Works by Edouard Manet, Edvard Munch and Claude Monet are all here, via major loans from some of the world’s greatest art collections.
There's also sketchbooks, etches and scans to take visitors through Ensor’s unique creative process, from pigment to print. And the exhibition's design — the look and feel of the galleries — is thoughtful and fun, which further adds to the experience.
Now open until 18 January 2025
Cindy Sherman | FOMU — Photo Museum Antwerp
This is the first ever major solo exhibition of American photographer Cindy Sherman in Belgium.
Featuring more than 100 works from the 1970s to the present, the bulk of show focusses on Sherman’s relationship with the fashion industry. She deconstructs traditional beauty standards and shines a spotlight on the absurdity of high-fashion — often in works paid for by the major fashion houses themselves. It's shown across multiple floors at the Photo Museum Antwerp, and some of the best pieces are giant photographs printed onto huge sheets of metal.
The exhibition is also part of Antwerp's James Ensor exhibition season. While the link to the 19th century Impressionist might seem tenuous at first, it really is a great companion to KSMKA’s In Your Wildest Dreams show, as — like Ensor — Cindy Sherman also recognises the power of masks and disguises.
The FoMu show is in two parts here, with a smaller bonus display presenting Sherman’s early works from the late 1970s.
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Now open until 02 February 2025
Exhibitions in Ghent
PRESENTS — private donations to S.M.A.K. | at S.M.A.K
The works displayed in this new contemporary art exhibition have been recently donated to the Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art in Ghent, aka S.M.A.K. All have been given in the past five years.
Visitors to PRESENTS get to see an eclectic range of art — from painting to installation — and created by both famous stars and less recognised names. Kim Jones, Laure Prouvost, Marlene Dumas and Ann Veronica Janssens are just some that feature here.
The only common denominator is "the commitment and generosity of the donors" according to the museum, who credit these gifts as contributing to their future. They've been given by a range of sources, from private collectors to galleries, estates and the artists themselves. The accompanying texts to each piece explain its link with S.M.A.K — as well as that of the artist and donors — and most have not been displayed since their acquisition.
Other artists on show include Rashid Johnson, Mario Navarro, Massimo Bartolini and Richard Tuttle.
Now open until 09 March 2025