Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen

About the museum

The museum’s roots lie with the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke, which began in 1382. When the guild was abolished in 1773, the art collection went to the academy. In 1810 Napoleon founded the Antwerp museum by decree; the collection was housed in a former Franciscan monastery. In 1840 Florent van Ertborn donated 144 paintings, including works by Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden and Hans Memling, and from the middle of the 19th century the collection of modern art also grew.

The current building, on the site of the former Spanish citadel in the south of the city, opened on 11 August 1890. The architects Jean Jacques Winders and Frans Van Dijk combined their designs into one plan, with daylight in the galleries. In 1944 a V-bomb struck the area around the museum, damaging the building and some artworks. Since 1905 the statue Triumph of Art by Thomas Vinçotte has stood on the roof, the symbol of the museum.

In autumn 2011 a major renovation began according to the masterplan by KAAN Architecten, restoring the historic building and adding a new museum volume at its heart. The museum has the largest collection of work by James Ensor and Rik Wouters in the world, and 111 works from the Vlaamse Topstukkenlijst (Flemish Masterpieces list). The collection spans seven centuries of art, from the Flemish Primitives to the Expressionists, and has its own restoration studio.

Highlights

• Work by Peter Paul Rubens
• The largest collection of James Ensor in the world
• The largest collection of Rik Wouters
• Jean Fouquet and other international masterpieces
• Keyserzaal: the monumental staircase hall
• Seven centuries of art, from the Flemish Primitives to the Expressionists

Founded

1810

Visitors per year

approx. 570,000 (2025)

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every first Tuesday of the month €10 for Antwerp residents with an A-card.

Free admission applies to holders of an ICOM card, a Museumpas or a Friends of KMSKA membership, holders of an A-card with reduced rate or a UiTPAS with VT status, carers of people with disabilities, and school groups (holders of the Lerarenkaart for a school visit). Pass holders reserve a free time slot. The ticket gives access to the entire collection and to the temporary exhibitions; for some exhibitions a separate time slot is needed. Tickets cannot be cancelled or refunded, but they can be rebooked.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The ground-floor entrance has an automatic door; at the reception desk there is a low counter, and one of the ticket machines is wheelchair-accessible. All levels can be reached by lift; the Keyserzaal staircase hall is not accessible to wheelchairs, but you can reach level 2 by lift. Two wheelchairs can be borrowed from reception, and museum stools are available on request. Gender-neutral toilets on levels 0, 1 and 4, each with an accessible toilet. Several parking spaces for people with disabilities are close to the museum. Assistance dogs are always allowed. Guided tours are available for blind and partially sighted visitors.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Children aged 6 to 12 receive a sketchbook with a pencil at reception, and there is a family trail at exhibitions. There are also workshops, Open Atelier and ‘KMSKA tekent!’, and during the autumn holiday a Family Week. Children have approved the museum, which received the blue dot from the Museumpas. Pushchairs and rollators can be safely left in the reception area. Changing tables are in the accessible toilets on levels 0, 1 and 4.

Getting there & parking

Secure bicycle parking in the Steendok car park under the Gedempte Zuiderdokken; Velo stations nearby. With a paying KMSKA ticket you get 40% off the train to Antwerp via the NMBS Discovery Ticket.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Madonna Grand Café Restaurant Bar is the museum restaurant (reservation recommended); KMSKA Shop & Coffeebar serves coffee, cakes and sells merchandise. Eating and drinking are not allowed in the galleries; picnicking is possible in the museum garden. Free wifi via the network ‘KMSKA-WIFI’. Backpacks and luggage larger than 34 x 22 cm are not allowed. There is a free cloakroom, and bags up to 75 x 25 x 45 cm fit in a locker with a PIN code of your choice.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Available for hire are, among others, the Keyserzaal, the monumental staircase hall, and the Reading Room with 90,000 books, for lectures, small receptions, presentations and dinners, also outside opening hours. Requests via evenementen@kmska.be.

Plan your visit