BAM (ART MUSEUM)

The history of the Musée des Beaux-Arts, also known by its acronym BAM, began in 1885 with Henri Glépin's extraordinary donation for its creation. Throughout the ^twentieth century, various acquisition policies enabled the museum to develop its collections, which today are of great interest. The BAM's modern building combines functionality, balance and transparency, making art a central concern. Recent refurbishments have turned it into a major cultural tool, with 2,000^m2 of exhibition space on three levels, plus the Queen Astrid Garden. It showcases as many works as possible, with the aim of raising public awareness of contemporary art trends. The collections therefore mainly comprise works from the ^19th and ^20th centuries. In the ^20th century, for example, you'll find works by the Nervia school in Montpellier, grouped around Buisseret and Anto Carte, Hainuyer surrealist drawings and the "Fruits d'une passion" collection, on deposit from the French Community: a complete panorama of art from the 1960s to the 1990s. With these latest donations, BAM confirms its position as Wallonia's most comprehensive art museum dedicated to the second half of the ^20th century. The BAM closed in January 2023 for renovations and will reopen in April 2024, with an exhibition dedicated to Auguste Rodin, the sculptor who spent part of his life in Belgium.