MSK - MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
Museum of Fine Arts with collections of sculptures, paintings, engravings of artists and paintings of the primitives.
The Museum of Fine Arts (Voor Schone Kunsten) is housed in a beautiful 19th-century building designed as a classical temple to art. Founded in 1798, it is the oldest fine arts museum in Belgium. In a new museum itinerary, rooms interrupt a chronological thread to create a dialogue between works on the same theme (the representation of women, travel, etc.). There are collections of sculptures, paintings, drawings and engravings by Flemish, Belgian and European artists, from the Middle Ages to the end of surrealism around 1950. Paintings by Flemish primitives Jerome Bosch (1450-1516) and Breughel the Elder (1564-1637) are particularly highlighted. Bosch's Saint Jerome and the Carrying of the Cross, Brueghel's Wedding Dance in the Open Air, The Village Lawyer and Wedding Meal can all be admired in minute detail. In addition to the masters, the nineteenth- and twentieth-century collection covers a wide range of trends: Romanticism, Expressionism, Surrealism, Impressionism, Symbolism... Don't miss Théodore Géricault's famous Portrait of a Kleptomaniac, Georges Minne's Fountain of the Kneeling, or the work of James Ensor.
The famous Mystic Lamb, the 12-panel polyptych painted by the Van Eyck brothers in 1432, was restored here, in a workshop set up behind a glass case in the museum. In 2021, the entire polyptych was returned to St. Bavo's Cathedral.
Further information
Opening time and information on MSK - MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
Open Tuesday to Friday 9.30am to 5.30pm, weekends 10am to 6pm. Adults: €13, young people aged 19-25: €2.50.
Message from Management
Founded in 1798, MSK is the first and oldest art museum in Belgium. It is housed in a remarkable monument on the edge of the Citadel Park in Ghent. The museum houses an impressive collection of 20,000 European works of art ranging from the Middle Ages to the first half of the twentieth century. You will find a large selection of paintings and sculptures. MSK also presents a vast collection of art on paper such as drawing and graphic arts. One tenth of the site's permanent collection exists thanks to the donation made by the Belgian collector Fernand Scribe whose private collection included more than 200 works by renowned artists such as Breughel, Tintoretto, Jordaens or Permeke. In order to attract a wide audience to appreciate art, the museum organizes several themed tours and special experiences such as hyposensory guided tours, LGBTQ+ tours or tours dedicated to the visually impaired. In addition, there is a rich and varied family offer, with treasure hunts and poems.
Une bibliothèque, un café et un atelier pour enfants sont également présents.