There’s never a dull moment in the City of Antwerp. Every season has something to offer, there is always something to see and experience. Curious to know what’s coming up? Check out the calendar for the coming years.
SPA©E - The Human Quest
23 April to 16 October 2022
The largest space expo in Europe lands in Antwerp. Antwerp Expo will be transformed into an inspiring 2,000m² expo featuring historic objects, impressive replicas, unprecedented anecdotes and an unprecedented look into the future of space travel.
Opening of Flemish Culinary Centre
The Loodswezen on the Eilandje will be transformed to become the Flemish Culinary Centre. This spot, close to the MAS, will be the ultimate meeting place for both national and international connoisseurs. The opening date will be announced at a later date.
Opening of the renovated Rubens House
With 200,000 visitors a year from over 30 different countries, the Rubens House is one of Antwerp's foremost attractions. So that it can continue to inspire all those visitors and in order to improve the infrastructure, the museum is currently working on a brand-new visitors' centre that will include a multi-media visitor experience, a café and a reading room.
The newly renovated Rubens House is scheduled to reopen in 2027.
The Giants
The return of the Giants! The French theatre group Royal de Luxe, which has already paraded through Antwerp on 4 occasions, will be coming back to Antwerp in 2023 with its giant mechanical puppets.
In 2015 no less than 900,000 visitors came to Antwerp to admire these wonderful works of art.
Opening DIVA | 9 December 2022
Further to renovation work you are welcome once again in the exhibition galleries at DIVA | the diamond, jewellery and silver museum as from 9 December.
Opening of MoMu, the Fashion Museum
8 October
Following a number of additional structural modifications, MoMu | MoMuthe Fashion Museum will reopen its doors on 8 October.
Opening Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
24 September 2022
Following a renovation lasting 11 years the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp is finally ready to show off its unique collection of masterpieces in a fabulously historic & new building.
From scribble to cartoon
Museum Plantin Moretus
From 17.11.2023 to 18.02.2024
This exhibition consists of 85 of the loveliest old drawings from Flemish collections and provides an overview of who, why and how people here made drawings in the 16th and 17th centuries. It is a unique chance to view some very special objects side by side, such as a sketchbook belonging to a 12-year-old Rubens, a Panorama of Zeeland by Antoon van den Wijngaerde that is ten metres long and sculptor Pieter Verbruggen’s extremely rare Italian sketchbooks. Alongside big names such as Pieter Bruegel and Anthony Van Dyck, drawings by lesser-known artists offer interesting surprises as well.
Exploding Fashion: van 2D tot 3D tot 3D-animatie
MoMu - ModeMuseum Antwerpen
8 October 2022 until 5 February 2023
A new “Exploding Fashion” exhibition brings iconic fashion designs to digital life. Discover the role played by pattern cutters, see how designs came about and learn all the secrets behind 20th century fashion. This surprising exhibition was created as a research project in collaboration with Central Saint Martin’s College (University of the Arts London). Also included is a tour of the collection, offering a look back on four decades of Belgian fashion.
Recaptioning Congo
FOMU
16 September 2022 until 29 January 2023
“Recaptioning Congo” is the first extensive exhibition to show the unique and multilayered history of photography in the Belgian Congo. Explore various European and African photographers’ perspectives, from propaganda to African amateur and studio photography. Take a deep dive into the construction of a colonial ideology through photography.
Museum in Motion
M HKA
16 September 2022 – 08 January 2023
The M HKA is putting on a temporary exhibition titled “Museum in Motion”. The museum offers a glimpse of the future with works by 24 contemporary artists. Diverse works of art provide an excellent impression of the museum's collection and will soon be granted a permanent home in the new building. They combine old and new, the familiar and the unknown, motion and marvels.
Mirror Mirror
MoMu & Museum Dr. Guislain
8 October 2022 until 26 February 2023
MoMu and Ghent’s Dr. Guislain Museum have joined forces to create “Mirror Mirror”, a double exhibition. Explore the connections between fashion, psychology, self-image and identity. Reflect on themes such as body dysmorphia, beauty ideals and clothing’s power to make us feel stronger through art installations and avant-garde fashion. At the Dr. Guislain Museum, you can discover how artists use textiles and clothing to create a place for themselves in the world.
L'invitation au voyage
Plantin-Moretus
28 October 2022 until 29 January 2023
Multi-talented artist Philip Aguirre has built up a rich body of work over the past 40 years. Admire a selection of his drawings and graphic work at Museum Plantin-Moretus. Discover the wide range of artistic media in which this artist has worked and the major recurring themes that mark his work. He often draws inspiration from old heritage items. He also references social themes such as global water, immigration and refugees.
Stories of refuge 1951-2021
Red Star Line Museum
Till 11 december 2022
In 2021 it is 70 years since the refugee treaty was signed in Geneva by 24 countries. To mark this anniversary the Red Star Line Museum will open the exhibition 'Stories of refuge 1951 – 2021’, a moving and confrontational journey featuring authentic tales of people who have come to Belgium as a refugee in the last 70 years.
DIVA: Work in Progress
DIVA pop-up, Grote Markt 13
until 27 november 2022
Want to know more about the story behind diamonds, jewellery and silver objects? Visit the free exhibition 'DIVA: Work in Progress'. Explore three rooms where you will discover the work involving the objects and the people before a stone, a piece or a maker is ‘museum-worthy’.
Camille Henrot: Wet Job
Middelheim Museum
11 June to 16 October 2022
A visit to the beautiful sculpture park of the Middelheim Museum is always a great idea. This summer, you will have the opportunity to see the work of internationally acclaimed Camille Henrot there. Through her sculpture she aims to illustrate the complexity of life. She manages to turn personal experiences into universal stories with which you will certainly identify.
Anybody home?
MAS
December 2022
The exhibition ‘Anybody home’, which opens in late 2022, gets visitors thinking about the meaning of 'home'. With collection pieces from the MAS and stories from Antwerp residents of all ages the exhibition shows how everyone has a different experience of home. ‘Anybody Home?’ will be an interactive and imaginative exhibition which gets visitors of all ages to consider what home means to them.
Finis Terrae
Museum Plantin-Moretus and other locations
From 17.11.2022 to 26.02.2023
Five years after the successful project 'Ecce Homo' a second large-scale group exhibition is to be organised at different locations in Antwerp. Finis Terrae aims to take a look at the world today and emphasise hope, human resilience and the power of art. The focus lies on the work by contemporary Belgian artists and contemporary artists living and working in Belgium.
Artists in the Nottebohm room
Library Hendrik Conscience
Summer and autumn 2022
As from the summer the historic Nottebohm room will engage in a dialogue with contemporary artists. From 15 June to 11 September, Camiel Van Breedam (1936, Boom) will show a series of collages referring to the world of books. Van Breedam ‘recycles’ old books, removing their original stories and creating a new world. The end result are magnificent ‘book shelves’ which stand out between all other ancient works in the Nottebohm room.
Eugeen Van Mieghem
(1875-1930) Augustine Pautre, love and suffering...
Museum De Reede
From 14.09.2022 to 12.12.2022
This exhibition shows around 50 works by Antwerp artist Eugeen Van Mieghem (1875-1930). Few Belgian artists demonstrate such a close connection with their home town. Eugeen Van Mieghem captured the mass emigration of Europeans to America. The exhibition was created in close collaboration with the Eugeen Van Mieghem Museum.
Listen
MAS
Until 2023
The MAS celebrates the museum collection with a colourful, separate exhibition featuring exciting and moving tales. Along with writer and theatre maker Dimitri Leue, the museum is performing the collection pieces in a compelling audio play. He dives into myths, legends and worldly stories giving the visitor a new perspective of the objects with an auditive experience.
There’s never a dull moment in the City of Antwerp. Every season has something to offer, there is always something to see and experience. Curious to know what’s coming up? Check out the calendar for the coming years.
SPA©E - The Human Quest
23 April to 16 October 2022
The largest space expo in Europe lands in Antwerp. Antwerp Expo will be transformed into an inspiring 2,000m² expo featuring historic objects, impressive replicas, unprecedented anecdotes and an unprecedented look into the future of space travel.
Opening of Flemish Culinary Centre
The Loodswezen on the Eilandje will be transformed to become the Flemish Culinary Centre. This spot, close to the MAS, will be the ultimate meeting place for both national and international connoisseurs. The opening date will be announced at a later date.
Opening of the renovated Rubens House
With 200,000 visitors a year from over 30 different countries, the Rubens House is one of Antwerp's foremost attractions. So that it can continue to inspire all those visitors and in order to improve the infrastructure, the museum is currently working on a brand-new visitors' centre that will include a multi-media visitor experience, a café and a reading room.
The newly renovated Rubens House is scheduled to reopen in 2027.
The Giants
The return of the Giants! The French theatre group Royal de Luxe, which has already paraded through Antwerp on 4 occasions, will be coming back to Antwerp in 2023 with its giant mechanical puppets.
In 2015 no less than 900,000 visitors came to Antwerp to admire these wonderful works of art.
Opening DIVA | 9 December 2022
Further to renovation work you are welcome once again in the exhibition galleries at DIVA | the diamond, jewellery and silver museum as from 9 December.
Opening of MoMu, the Fashion Museum
8 October
Following a number of additional structural modifications, MoMu | MoMuthe Fashion Museum will reopen its doors on 8 October.
Opening Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
24 September 2022
Following a renovation lasting 11 years the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp is finally ready to show off its unique collection of masterpieces in a fabulously historic & new building.
From scribble to cartoon
Museum Plantin Moretus
From 17.11.2023 to 18.02.2024
This exhibition consists of 85 of the loveliest old drawings from Flemish collections and provides an overview of who, why and how people here made drawings in the 16th and 17th centuries. It is a unique chance to view some very special objects side by side, such as a sketchbook belonging to a 12-year-old Rubens, a Panorama of Zeeland by Antoon van den Wijngaerde that is ten metres long and sculptor Pieter Verbruggen’s extremely rare Italian sketchbooks. Alongside big names such as Pieter Bruegel and Anthony Van Dyck, drawings by lesser-known artists offer interesting surprises as well.
L'invitation au voyage
Plantin-Moretus
28 October 2022 until 29 January 2023
Multi-talented artist Philip Aguirre has built up a rich body of work over the past 40 years. Admire a selection of his drawings and graphic work at Museum Plantin-Moretus. Discover the wide range of artistic media in which this artist has worked and the major recurring themes that mark his work. He often draws inspiration from old heritage items. He also references social themes such as global water, immigration and refugees.
Mirror Mirror
MoMu & Museum Dr. Guislain
8 October 2022 until 26 February 2023
MoMu and Ghent’s Dr. Guislain Museum have joined forces to create “Mirror Mirror”, a double exhibition. Explore the connections between fashion, psychology, self-image and identity. Reflect on themes such as body dysmorphia, beauty ideals and clothing’s power to make us feel stronger through art installations and avant-garde fashion. At the Dr. Guislain Museum, you can discover how artists use textiles and clothing to create a place for themselves in the world.
Exploding Fashion: van 2D tot 3D tot 3D-animatie
MoMu - ModeMuseum Antwerpen
8 October 2022 until 5 February 2023
A new “Exploding Fashion” exhibition brings iconic fashion designs to digital life. Discover the role played by pattern cutters, see how designs came about and learn all the secrets behind 20th century fashion. This surprising exhibition was created as a research project in collaboration with Central Saint Martin’s College (University of the Arts London). Also included is a tour of the collection, offering a look back on four decades of Belgian fashion.
Recaptioning Congo
FOMU
16 September 2022 until 29 January 2023
“Recaptioning Congo” is the first extensive exhibition to show the unique and multilayered history of photography in the Belgian Congo. Explore various European and African photographers’ perspectives, from propaganda to African amateur and studio photography. Take a deep dive into the construction of a colonial ideology through photography.
Museum in Motion
M HKA
16 September 2022 – 08 January 2023
The M HKA is putting on a temporary exhibition titled “Museum in Motion”. The museum offers a glimpse of the future with works by 24 contemporary artists. Diverse works of art provide an excellent impression of the museum's collection and will soon be granted a permanent home in the new building. They combine old and new, the familiar and the unknown, motion and marvels.
DIVA: Work in Progress
DIVA pop-up, Grote Markt 13
27 november 2022
Want to know more about the story behind diamonds, jewellery and silver objects? Visit the free exhibition 'DIVA: Work in Progress'. Explore three rooms where you will discover the work involving the objects and the people before a stone, a piece or a maker is ‘museum-worthy’.
Stories of refuge 1951-2021
Red Star Line Museum
Till 11 december 2022
In 2021 it is 70 years since the refugee treaty was signed in Geneva by 24 countries. To mark this anniversary the Red Star Line Museum will open the exhibition 'Stories of refuge 1951 – 2021’, a moving and confrontational journey featuring authentic tales of people who have come to Belgium as a refugee in the last 70 years.
Camille Henrot: Wet Job
Middelheim Museum
11 June to 16 October 2022
A visit to the beautiful sculpture park of the Middelheim Museum is always a great idea. This summer, you will have the opportunity to see the work of internationally acclaimed Camille Henrot there. Through her sculpture she aims to illustrate the complexity of life. She manages to turn personal experiences into universal stories with which you will certainly identify.
Anybody home?
MAS
December 2022
The exhibition ‘Anybody home’, which opens in late 2022, gets visitors thinking about the meaning of 'home'. With collection pieces from the MAS and stories from Antwerp residents of all ages the exhibition shows how everyone has a different experience of home. ‘Anybody Home?’ will be an interactive and imaginative exhibition which gets visitors of all ages to consider what home means to them.
Finis Terrae
Museum Plantin-Moretus and other locations
From 17.11.2022 to 26.02.2023
Five years after the successful project 'Ecce Homo' a second large-scale group exhibition is to be organised at different locations in Antwerp. Finis Terrae aims to take a look at the world today and emphasise hope, human resilience and the power of art. The focus lies on the work by contemporary Belgian artists and contemporary artists living and working in Belgium.
Eugeen Van Mieghem
(1875-1930) Augustine Pautre, love and suffering...
Museum De Reede
From 14.09.2022 to 12.12.2022
This exhibition shows around 50 works by Antwerp artist Eugeen Van Mieghem (1875-1930). Few Belgian artists demonstrate such a close connection with their home town. Eugeen Van Mieghem captured the mass emigration of Europeans to America. The exhibition was created in close collaboration with the Eugeen Van Mieghem Museum.
Artists in the Nottebohm room
Library Hendrik Conscience
Summer and autumn 2022
As from the summer the historic Nottebohm room will engage in a dialogue with contemporary artists. From 15 June to 11 September, Camiel Van Breedam (1936, Boom) will show a series of collages referring to the world of books. Van Breedam ‘recycles’ old books, removing their original stories and creating a new world. The end result are magnificent ‘book shelves’ which stand out between all other ancient works in the Nottebohm room.
Listen
MAS
Until 2023
The MAS celebrates the museum collection with a colourful, separate exhibition featuring exciting and moving tales. Along with writer and theatre maker Dimitri Leue, the museum is performing the collection pieces in a compelling audio play. He dives into myths, legends and worldly stories giving the visitor a new perspective of the objects with an auditive experience.
