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Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp

{{short description|Art museum in Antwerp, Belgium}}

{{More citations needed|date=March 2022}}

{{Infobox museum

| name = Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp

| native_name = Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen

| native_name_lang = nl

| image = Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Antwerpen).jpg

|caption=Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten

|mapframe=yes

|mapframe-caption=Interactive fullscreen map

|mapframe-zoom=12

|mapframe-marker=museum

|mapframe-wikidata=yes

|coordinates={{WikidataCoord|display=it}}

| established = 1810

| location = Antwerp, Belgium

| type = Art museum

| key_holdings = Flemish painting

| publictransit =

| website = {{official URL}}

}}

The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (Dutch: Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen; KMSKA) is a museum in Antwerp, Belgium, founded in 1810, that houses a collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings from the fourteenth to the twentieth centuries. This collection is representative of the artistic production and the taste of art enthusiasts in Antwerp, Belgium and the Northern and Southern Netherlands since the 15th century.

The neoclassical building housing the collection is one of the primary landmarks of the Zuid district of Antwerp. The majestic building was designed by Jean-Jacques Winders (1849–1936) and Frans Van Dijk (1853–1939), built beginning in 1884, opened in 1890, and completed in 1894. Sculpture on the building includes two bronze figures of Pheme with horse-drawn chariots by sculptor Thomas Vincotte, and seven rondel medallions of artists that include Boetius à Bolswert, Frans Floris, Jan van Eyck, Peter Paul Rubens, Quentin Matsys, Erasmus Quellinus II, and Appelmans, separated by four monumental sculptures representing Architecture, Painting, Sculpture, and Graphics.

The building stands in gardens bounded by the Leopold de Waalplaats, the Schildersstraat, the Plaatsnijdersstraat, and the Beeldhouwersstraat, formerly the site of the Antwerp Citadel.

History

The museum's collection began with the artworks owned by the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke, which was active from the late 14th century to 1773. When the guild disbanded, its gallery of paintings went to the Academy of Fine Arts, which had been founded in 1663 with the involvement of David Teniers. The gallery had works by Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens, and Cornelis de Vos. During French occupations in 1794 and 1796, art was looted from churches and other buildings in Antwerp; the pieces that were later recovered became part of the museum's collection. By 1817 the museum listed 127 items in its catalogue, mostly dating to the mid-16th and 17th centuries, with Rubens at the heart of the collection.Marechals, Els and de Jong, Leen. Introduction ("The History of the Royal Museum in Antwerp"). The Royal Museum in Antwerp.

William I of the Netherlands helped the museum in various ways. In 1823 he donated three paintings, including an early work by Titian—''[[:commons:File:Jacopo Pesaro presented to St. Peter by Pope Alexander VI - Tizian-2.jpg|Pope

Alexander IV presents Jacopo Pesaro to Saint Peter]]''—which became the museum's first foreign piece. He decreed a grant of 20,000 guilders to build the collection's contemporary art in 1827, but the Belgian Revolution interfered. Only in 1873 did the museum begin to acquire living artists' works.

A significant bequest from a former mayor of Antwerp, Florent van Ertborn, added 141 works to the collection in 1840.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-24 |title=Florent ridder van Ertborn, gouverneur van Utrecht 1828-1830 |url=https://www.oud-utrecht.nl/nieuws/1287-florent-ridder-van-ertborn-gouverneur-van-utrecht-1828-1830 |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=Oud Utrecht |language=nl-nl}} Van Ertborn had collected Early Netherlandish art at a time when it was out of favour, but in the long run this addition ensured the museum's reputation. These works included Jan van Eyck's Saint Barbara and Madonna at the Fountain and Rogier van der Weyden's Portrait of Philip de Croy (half of a diptych) and the Seven Sacraments Altarpiece. Also in the bequest were paintings by Hans Memling, Dieric Bouts, Joachim Patinir, Quinten Massys, Jean Fouquet, Simone Martini, Antonello da Messina, and Lucas Cranach.

The museum closed to the public for major renovations at the end of 2011, reopening on 24 September 2022 after 11 years of work.{{cite news |title=LIVE. Antwerps topmuseum KMSKA heropent feestelijk na elf jaar verbouwen: volg hier hét culturele hoogtepunt van 2022 |url=https://m.gva.be/cnt/dmf20220921_93775549 |access-date=24 September 2022 |publisher=gva.be |date=24 September 2022}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.kmska.be/en/renovation|title=The renovation of the museum | KMSKA|website=www.kmska.be}} The museum has been expanded with a new hall for modern art.{{Cite news |last=Siegal |first=Nina |date=2022-09-20 |title=The Royal Museum With a White-Cube Gallery Inside |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/20/arts/design/kmska-royal-museum-of-fine-arts-in-antwerp.html |access-date=2022-09-26 |issn=0362-4331}}

Collections

Image:Fouquet Madonna.jpg, Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels]]

image:Hans Memling 054 small.jpg, Portrait of a Man with a Roman medal]]

Image:0 L'Éducation de Marie - P.P. Rubens - Musée royal des beaux-arts à Anvers (2).JPG.]]

Artists exhibited in the museum include:

Collection highlights

Saint Barbara of Nicodemia - Jan van Eyck - 1437.jpg|Saint Barbara of Nicomedia by Jan van Eyck. 1437

Madonna omringd door serafijnen en cherubijnen, Jean Fouquet, (1454-1456), Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 132.jpg|Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels by Jean Fouquet. {{Circa|1454}}

Philippe de Croy, Rogier van der Weyden, (1460), Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 254.jpg|Portrait of Philippe I de Croÿ by Rogier van der Weyden. 1460

Christus met zingende en musicerende engelen, Hans Memling, (1483-1494), Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 778.jpg|God the Father with Singing and Music-making Angels by Hans Memling. {{Circa|1483}}

Quinten Massijs (I) - Biddende Maria - 242 - Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.jpg|Biddende Maria by Quentin Matsys. {{Circa|1505}}

Jacopo Pesaro, bisschop van Paphos, door paus Alexander VI Borgia voorgesteld aan de heilige Petrus, Titiaan, (1503-1510), Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 357.jpg|Jacopo Pesaro, bishop of Paphos, being presented by Pope Alexander VI to Saint Peter by Titian. 1503 - 1510

Landschap met de vlucht naar Egypte, Joachim Patinir, (1516-1517), Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 64.jpg|Landscape with the Flight into Egypt by Joachim Patinir. {{Circa|1515}}

Rust tijdens de vlucht naar Egypte, Gerard David, 16de eeuw, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 47FXD.jpg|Rest on the Flight into Egypt by Gerard David. 16th century

Jan Cornelisz. Vermeyen - Portrait of a man (Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, 564).jpg|Portrait of a Man by Maarten van Heemskerck. 16th century

Lucas Cranach d.Ä. - Caritas (Koninklijk Museum v. Schone Kunsten Antwerpen).jpg|Caritas (Lucas Cranach the Elder) by Lucas Cranach the Elder. {{Circa|1537}}

Frans Floris (I) - Het oordeel van Salomo, de twee moeders komen voor Salomo en ruziën met elkaar (1 Koningen 3-16-22) - 663 - Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.jpg|The Judgement of Solomon by Frans Floris. {{Circa|1547}}

Frans Floris - The Fall of the Rebellious Angels - WGA7947.jpg|The Fall of the Rebel Angels by Frans Floris. 1554

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) - Venus frigida (1611) - kmska 001 28-02-2010 14-30-37.jpg|Venus Frigida by Peter Paul Rubens. 1611

De verloren zoon, Peter Paul Rubens, (1618), Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 781.jpg|The Prodigal Son by Peter Paul Rubens. 1618

Aanbidding door de koningen, Peter Paul Rubens, (1624), Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 298.jpg|Adoration of the Magi by Peter Paul Rubens. {{Circa|1626}}

Anthony van Dyck - The Lamentation of Christ - WGA07441.jpg|The Lamentation over the dead Christ by Anthony van Dyck. {{Circa|1635}}

Rembrandt van Rijn - De predikant Eleazar Swalmius, 1637 (KMSKA).jpg|The Preacher Eleazar Swalmius by Rembrandt. 1637

Zoals de ouden zongen, piepen de jongen, Jacob Jordaens I, 1638, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 677.jpg|The Old Folks Sing, The Young Folks Pipe by Jacob Jordaens. 1638

Michaelina woutiers-santas ines y dorotea.jpg|Two Girls as Saint Agnes and Saint Dorothea by Michaelina Wautier. {{Circa|1650}}

Stephanus Geraerdts, schepen in Haarlem, Frans Hals I, (1650-1652), Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 674.jpg|Portrait of Stephan Geraedts, Husband of Isabella Coymans by Frans Hals. 1650-1652

Philips Wouwerman - The Rider's Halting Place.jpg|The Rider's Halting Place by Philips Wouwerman. 17th century

Nicolaes Maes - Portrait of a Seated Woman.jpg|Portrait of a Seated Woman by Nicolaes Maes. 1676

Kmska Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) - Zelfportret (1864) - 28-02-2010 13-37-05.jpg|Self portrait by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. {{Circa|1864}}

De intrige, James Ensor, 1890, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 1856.002.jpeg|The Intrigue by James Ensor. 1890

Alfred Stevens - (1823-1906) - De Parijse sfinks (1867) - kmska 001 28-02-2010 15-06-35.jpg|The Parisian Sphinx by Alfred Stevens. 1875–1877

De man in de stoel, Henri De Braekeleer, (1875), Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 1845.jpg|The Man in the Chair by Henri de Braekeleer. 1875

James Ensor (1884) - De daken van Oostende 001.jpg|The Rooftops of Ostend by James Ensor. 1884

Vincent van Gogh - Aardappelrooister.jpg|Peasant Woman Digging Up Potatoes by Vincent van Gogh. 1885

Kmska Théo Van Rysselberghe (1862-1926) - Mevrouw Henry Van de Velde-Sèthe (1921) - 28-02-2010 13-11-02.jpg|Maria Sèthe, Afterwards Madame Henry Vande Velde by Théo van Rysselberghe. {{Circa|1891}}

De strijkster, Rik Wouters, (1912), Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 1932.jpg|Ironing by Rik Wouters. 1912

Zittend naakt, Amedeo Modigliani, (1917), Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 2060.jpg|Sitting Nude by Amedeo Modigliani. 1917

See also

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • {{Official website|http://www.kmska.be/en }} {{in lang|en}}
  • [https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/kmska?hl=en Virtual tour of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts] provided by Google Arts & Culture
  • {{commons category-inline}}

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Category:Art museums and galleries in Antwerp

Category:Art museums and galleries established in 1810

Category:Museums established in 1894

Category:1810 establishments in France

Category:Organisations based in Belgium with royal patronage

Category:19th-century establishments in the Southern Netherlands