Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp

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. William I of the Netherlands helped the museum in various ways. In 1823 he donated three paintings, including an early work by Titian—''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. 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. The museum has been expanded with a new hall for modern art. == Collections ==

, Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels , Portrait of a Man with a Roman medal . Artists exhibited in the museum include: • 15th century • Jan van Eyck • Jean Fouquet • Rogier van der Weyden • Hans Memling • 16th century: • Frans Floris de Vriendt • Quinten Metsijs • Joachim Patinir • Marten de Vos • Gillis Coignet • 17th century: • Erasmus de Bie • Jan Brueghel the Elder • Anthony van Dyck • Frans Hals • Jacob Jordaens • Theodoor Rombouts • Peter Paul Rubens • 19th century: • James Ensor • Auguste Rodin • Henry van de Velde • Fernand Khnopff • Alexandre Cabanel, Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners • 20th century: • Pierre Alechinsky • René Magritte • Jacob Smits • Gustave Van de Woestijne • Rik Wouters == 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. 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. Quinten Massijs (I) - Biddende Maria - 242 - Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.jpg|Biddende Maria by Quentin Matsys. 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. 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. 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. 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. Anthony van Dyck - The Lamentation of Christ - WGA07441.jpg|The Lamentation over the dead Christ by Anthony van Dyck. 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. 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. 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. 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==