Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels

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The Royal Museum of Art and History is an important one (60.000 m²) that covers all the artistic disciplines (except painting, see museum of Fine Arts), of the five continents (except Sub-Saharan Africa, see Museum of Central Africa, Tervuren).
The collections are divided into four ensembles:
1° ANTIQUITY with the Near East (closed for renovation), Egypt, Greece, Rome, Byzantine and Eastern Christian Art. The objects on display are good but not exceptional (this is not Le Louvre or the British Museum). The best section, in my opinion, is the Egyptian collection assembled thanks to the Belgian Egyptologist Jean Capart. Remarkable is the relief portrait of Queen Tiy, married to Amenophis III (1375 a. J.C.) and the so called "Lady of Brussels". I already visited this museum when I was a kid and felt very impressed by the mummies of which the skeleton is partly apparent. A macabre start for my Egypt mania.
2° NATIONAL ARCHAELOGY. Prehistory, Gallo-Roman civilisation in Belgium. The Merovingian civilization is closed for renovation.
3° NON-EUROPEAN CIVILIZATIONS. Islam (a new room on Islam art has been opened on 22/02/2008).
4° EUROPEAN ARTS AND CRAFTS. Mosan Art, from the Gothic to the Baroque, from the Baroque to the 20th century, Specific materials.

The collections of art and craft works from the Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque periods are very interesting and among the highlights of this museum. I will comment them in a special tip.

NOTE: Rooms closed for renovation 2011:
- Salle des textiles coptes.
- Salle Océanie.
- Salle Costumes et dentelles.
- Salle des Verreries anciennes.
- Circuit des Arts décoratifs belges du début du XXe siècle.
- Pavillon Horta-Lambeaux.

Open: Tuesday - Friday 9.30 - 17 h, Saturday, Sunday, Feast days 10 - 17 h.
Closed: Monday, 1/01, 1/05, 1/11, 11/11 and 25/12.
Entrance 5€ (reduced 4 and 1, 5 €).
No photos allowed.

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Following my comments about the Flemish Primitives of the 15th c. (ref. my tip here) I would like to continue the visit to the ANCIENT ART MUSEUM with the 16th century artists and room 31 where are on display 5 paintings of Pieter Bruegel the Elder including the famous "Census at Bethlehem", "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" and my favoured one "Winter Landscape with Skaters and Bird Trap".
I always liked this landscape because it is a real landscape which could be found south of Brussels a few centuries ago. The type of village church represented in the painting still exists.

The "Fall of Icarus" is the only painting of Pieter Bruegel with a scene of the mythology.
I was always impressed by the indifference of the peasant, the shepherd and the fisher for the tragedy of Icarus drowning himself. Nobody cares for the cry of horror of the poor young man!
One should observe that this painting was made at the beginning of the Renaissance when the Italians dominated the art with mythological and religious, often grandiloquent, themes.
Bruegel, although he had been to Italy, ignored voluntarily this trend even in his biblical scenes where the ordinary village people and the landscape supersede the religious event.
Bruegel the Elder was therefore unique in his century.
Are also on display three paintings of his elder son Pieter (II) Brueghel the Younger. These are excellent copies of his father's work. (The son used to sign his name with an "h" while his father abandoned the "h" around 1559).

Opening hours:
Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ticket office closes at 4 p.m.)
Closed on Mondays, January 1, second Thursday of January, May 1, November 1 and 11, December 25.
Entrance fee: 8 euro. Reduced 5 euro.
Free on the first Wednesday afternoon of each month.

NEW! THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (another part of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts) IS CLOSED for renovation works from February 2011 till its reopening in 2012 .

The art of painting in the southern Netherlands in the 16th c. showed continuity with painters like Quentin Metsys of the Antwerp school of which the "Virgin and Child Enthroned" and the "Triptych of St-Ann" are shown in room 22.
New genres appeared under Italian inspiration. Jan Gossaert (called Mabuse) was the first artist to paint mythological nudes in the Netherlands.
Painters of the 16th and 17th century did only paint nudes as part of scenes of the mythology, antique history or the bible. Ancient art museums are consequently full of naked Venus and Diana being observed by some hidden man.
Daring scenes of the bible such as "Suzanne and the Elders" showing the male concupiscence or the incest of "Loth and his Daughters" had success among painters and their customers.
In the moralizing literature of these centuries, these passages serve especially for illustrating the pernicious nature of the women and the misdeeds of the drunkenness; they also form an example of uneven couples by their age, a fashionable subject in that period. One will find good examples of these nudes by Jan Massys (Antwerp, around 1565) in room 29.
It was also the start of the independent landscape painting with Paternier and the start of genre painting. The museum has also Italian and German paintings of the 16th c.

Open: 10h00 to 17h00
Closed on Mondays and on 1st January and on the 2nd Thursday in January, on 1st May, on 1st and 11th November, on 25 December.

Entrance fee: 8 euro. Reduced 5 euro or 2 euro.
Free on the first Wednesday afternoon of each month.

NEW! THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (another part of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts) IS CLOSED for renovation works from February 2011 till its reopening in 2012 .

It is impossible to visit any ancient art museum without seeing some Rubens; so for this museum in Brussels. Actually I am not a fan of Rubens because most of his numerous paintings are religious and mythological compositions which are not my favoured subjects (in fact my favoured paintings of Rubens are the "Lion Hunt", in Munich and "Landscape with the Castel of Steen", in London).

The museum of Brussels displays some good religious compositions such as the "Martyr of St Livinius" "Madonna with Myosotis" and the "Road to Calvary" which are typical of the Counter-Reformation movement of which Rubens was one of the leading artists. But best known in Belgium is the study "Têtes de Nègres" which in the past decorated a banknote of 500 BEF.
Rubens is by no doubt a leading figure of the baroque art with his dynamism, vitality, and sensuous exuberance. His work combines the traditions of Flemish realism with the classical tendencies of the Italian Renaissance.
This sensuous exuberance is most visible when he paints nudes. I wonder if the women of Antwerp in his time were as fleshy as his models but there is no doubt that Rubens did not like anorexic women.
He was at the head of a workshop and Rubens's personal contribution to the over 2.000 works produced by this studio varied considerably from work to work.
Most of his assistants were remarkable painters by themselves and had their specialities: figures for Van Dyck and Jordaens, animals for Frans Snyders, landscapes and flowers for Jan Brueghel "Velvet".
Last but not least, Rubens was also an effective ambassador, scholar, humanist, classicist, architect, lover and family man.

Open: 10h00 to 17h00
Closed on Mondays and on 1st January and on the 2nd Thursday in January, on 1st May, on 1st and 11th November, on 25 December.
Entrance fee: 8 €. Reduced 6 € for seniors; or 2 euro 25 yr.
Free on the first Wednesday afternoon of each month.

NEW for amateurs of Rubens: There is now at the new Le Louvre Lens (between Arras and Lille) a special exhibition: L'EUROPE DE RUBENS with 170 works from 22/05 till 23/09/2013.

The 17th century at this museum is much more than Rubens. All the Flemish school is brilliantly represented. First by Jan Brueghel the Elder "Velvet" with a real gem "Still life with Garland of Flowers and Cup". Portraits by Antoon Van Dyck, an ensemble of paintings by David Teniers the Younger.

Among my favoured paintings here is the large composition "The King Drinks" of Jacob Jordaens. The king in this scene is the one of the feast of the Epiphany who found the bean hidden in the "Twelfth Night" cake (la fève de la galette des rois). This painting was a popular success in Belgium and was often reproduced on biscuit boxes. In the upper part of the painting one will read in old Flemish: "In een vry gelach ist goet gast syn" what means "it is good to be invited when you have not to pay".
The amateurs of Flemish genre scenes will appreciate the small paintings of Adriaen Brouwer.

The museum also has a collection of Dutch paintings from the 17th century, with portraits, landscapes and genre scenes typical of the Dutch Golden Age represented by the great names such as Rembrandt, Frans Hals, van Ruisdael, and Bakhuysen. Furthermore, as this museum is not showing exclusively "Belgian" painters, the French and Italian schools are present.

Open: 10h00 to 17h00
Closed on Mondays and on 1st January and on the 2nd Thursday in January, on 1st May, on 1st and 11th November, on 25 December.

Entrance fee: 8 euro. Reduced 5 euro or 2 euro.
Free on the first Wednesday afternoon of each month.

NEW! THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (another part of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts) IS CLOSED for renovation works from February 2011 till its reopening in 2013 .

The MUSEUM of ANCIENT ART (part of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts) is one of the finest European paint museums.

Concerning this Ancient Art department - 15th century, there is sometimes confusion between Flemish and Dutch painters which I would like to clarify.
There are indeed museums who mention "Early Netherlandish", "Southern Netherlandish" for painters who belong to the Flemish school, the so called "Flemish Primitives". The reference to the Netherlands is correct from a geo-political point of view when Belgium and the present Netherlands were united until the end of the 16th century, when separation occurred between the southern catholic provinces and the northern independent Calvinist republic.
But from a point of view of art the term "Netherlandish" is misleading as this Flemish school of the 15th century can not be mixed with the Dutch school reaching her summit in the 17th century with Vermeer and Rembrandt.
The correct term of "Primitifs Flamands" appeared in 1902 at an exhibition in Bruges. The Flemish "Primitives" were in fact revolutionary pioneers by developing space and perspective in the pictorial art.

The great names of this school are the brothers Van Eyck, Le Maître de Flémalle (= Robert Campin?), Rogier van der Weyden, Petrus Christus, Thierry Bouts, Juste de Gand, Hugo van der Goes, Jérôme Bosch, Hans Memlinc , Gerard David.
Some of these painters were born in the present Holland like Jerome Bosch and Thierry Bouts but worked in the southern provinces, or were from Tournai in the present Walloon part of Belgium. Next to these great masters there were a number of "Petits Maîtres".
The Flemish art of the 15th c. had a great influence in other countries, Germany, Italy, Holland, France and especially Spain.

One might think that the Flemish Primitives did only paint religious subjects. Not at all, the portraits were very important; more than 500 have reached us.
There is a beautiful portrait, attributed to Juan de Flandes, "La fillette à l'oiseau mort", a painting which by itself justifies a trip to the Musées Royaux des Beaux Arts, Brussels.

Opening hours (2012):
Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ticket office closes at 4 p.m.)
Closed on Mondays, January 1, second Thursday of January, May 1, November 1 and 11, December 25.
Entrance fee: 8 €. Reduced seniors 6 €, 25 yr 2 €.
Free on the first Wednesday afternoon of each month.

Located on Place Royale, the Royal Fine Arts Museums are a must-see in Brussels. In fact, there are 2 main museums: Ancient Arts and Modern Arts. You enter the museum via a beautiful common room exhibiting giant paintings from the XiXth century. The Ancient Arts covers the XVth to XVIIIth century with such highlights as Primitive Flemish like Rogier Van Der Weyden. and Hyeronymus Bosch (he has his own room). One of my favourite of those ancient painters is Bruegel the Elder (I saw "Icarus's Fall" so many times in books... ) and its depiction of everyday life in the early Renaissance in the Low Countries. You can feel he really took pleasure in the little joys of the peasants' life at the time. His popular paintings are like little time capsules and show the simple life and pleasure of simple people.

If there is a Flemish painter I particularly like, it's Pieter-Paul Rubens. He also has his own room. I particularly love the sensuality of his paintings, the colours, the texture... It's the baroque era folks!
One painting that struck me the most tough was Jacques-Louis David's "Marat Assassiné". This is a painting that everybody has seen in his/her history schoolbook when it's time to talk about the French Revolution. Marat was a Revolution leader and was murdered while taking a bath by Charlotte Corday, who held him accountable for the Terror regime. After the fall of Napoleon, David lived (and died) in exile in Brussels and that's the reason why this painting is in Brussels and not at the Louvres. The simplicity and realism of this work is touching. Marat is in his bathtub, one of his arm just laying out of the tub with a quill in his hand (he was a writer for the paper called "L'ami du peuple" and looks peaceful, as if asleep. David was a personal friend of Marat so that explains it all. The painting is exposed on its own on an solated wall leading the XiXth-century paintings and marks the transtion between the Ancient and Modern Arts museums.

Further on in the Regentschapstraat is the Royal Museum of Fine Arts.

This is a fine museum to visit.

At certain times there are special exhibitions. Like now there was a big exposition with Art work of Khnopf (from 16 -01 till 09 - 05 - 2004).

In 1998 I did visit the retrospective dedicated to Rene Magritte. Magritte a very famous Belgium painter, well known for his paintings with the strange men with the derby hat, ant the "this is not a pipe" painting.

Other great expositions were in 1997 : Delvaux and in 1999-2000 : Ensor.

The Museum of Fine Arts of Brussels comprises 2 sections, the Musee des Arts Anciens, and the Musée des Arts Modernes which are located in 2 communicating buildings. Definitely one of the gems of good old Europe!

The Museum of Modern Art of Brussels is a must-see for art-lover. It is well worth the visit both for its collections and for the building architecture. The rich collection includes the works of many famous artists (Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Dali,Moore, Chagall, Miro, Ernst, etc), including a rich display of Belgian artists. Some of the latter are reknown internationally and for a good reason! For example, Ensor and his colorful Expressionist-like painting of masks and carnival; Delvaux with his polished photo-like paintings of nude women and train stations at night; and of course the dreamer Surrealist Magritte, always full of humor. The modern building is wonderfully pleasant to walk through with a gradual spiral way to 8 underground levels of well presented collections with windows to the outside. It is my favorite museum so far in the world in terms of display.

The Musée d'Art Ancien is also splendid displaying art from the Middle-Ages to pre-Modern. Highlights include "Belgian" Bruegel(s), Bosch, Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, and Jordaens paintings (I put "Belgian" in "" because Belgian as a country did not exist when these painters were alive).

Open: Tues-Sun 10am-1pm & 2-5pm

After the Painting of "Marat assassine" starts the Modern Arts part of the museum, covering the XIXth century until now. The second half of the XIXth and first half of the XXth being particularly well represented, especially the symbolic and surrealistic movements that were quite big in Brussels. Amongst the highlights: James Ensor and his witty and ironic paintings with the recuring figure of the skeletons and masks, Fernand Khnopff's "L'Art", the luminous paintings of fauve master Rik Wouters, the moving and monumentals subjects of Constant Permeke, the playfull sculpture of Pol Bury, the poetry of Paul Delvaux know for his oniric subjects mixing naked women and tramways (he has has own room and apart from "La voix publique", my favourite is the "Cruxifiction" a biblical scene with a twist as all subjects are skelettons!)... But the main reason for a lot of art lovers to come to Brussels' Modern Arts Museum is thre Magritte room. The museum has the largest collection of Magritte paintings, a master of the surrealism movement, in the world. Amongst them, my personnal favourite: "L'empire des lumieres" which is a perfect representation of what Magritte was all about: Taking everyday objects and mixing them or putting them into an environment where this object is out of place or disturbing (in this case, the sky is painted as it would be during the day, and the house and trees are in the dark).