Kunsthal Gent

About the museum

Kunsthal Gent is housed in the former Carmelite monastery in the Patershol, close to the Gravensteen. The site goes back to a refuge that monks of the abbey of Cambron had built here in the late twelfth century. In 1272 the first Carmelites came to Ghent; from the end of the thirteenth century their monastery grew into a complete complex with a hall church, a cloister courtyard, a refectory and a library. Iconoclasts and the French Revolution left their mark, and in the nineteenth century the buildings were divided up and rented out as homes and studios.

In 1881 the City of Ghent bought the monastery church. It first served as a museum of archaeology, later until 1962 as a museum of folk culture, and afterwards as a storage space for opera sets. In 1977 the Province of East Flanders bought the rest of the monastery complex; the eviction of the residents led to a squatting action and a public debate about affordable housing. After a restoration, the Caermersklooster was brought into use in 1998 as a provincial cultural centre for exhibitions.

Since 2018 the hall church and the Oud Huis have again been owned by the City of Ghent. In January 2019 Kunsthal Gent opened there as a place to show and develop contemporary visual art. At weekends it is an exhibition space; on working days the building is a workplace for artists and organisations, with lectures, workshops, screenings and performances. The ongoing programme Endless Exhibition forms the basis of the presentation.

Highlights

• Endless Exhibition: an exhibition programme with no end date in the medieval hall church
• Temporary exhibitions in the pavilions and the cinema, with lectures and screenings
• The Oud Huis with medieval and eighteenth-century wall paintings
• Pay what you can: at weekends you decide your own ticket price

Permanent exhibition

• Endless Exhibition – An ongoing programme with no end date, based on a work by Prem Krishnamurthy. Curators and artists continually add new exhibitions in the hall church.

Founded

2019

Operated by

Kunsthal Gent vzw

Admission & discounts

At weekends you decide the price of your ticket yourself (pay what you can): whoever can pay more, pays more. No fixed amount is set.

Accessibility

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

The entrance, the cinema, the toilets and the bar are wheelchair-accessible via sloping surfaces; the Oud Huis is also accessible when accompanied. Exhibitions in and around pavilion KHG 03 above the cinema can only be reached via stairs and a walkway through the hall church. There is no audio guide; volunteers provide explanations, and a room plan is available at the entrance.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Kunsthal Gent lies in a car-free area; the Lange Steenstraat itself borders it. Ghent's city centre is a low-emission zone. Coaches can drop off and pick up passengers at Gent-Dampoort station and at the Bijlokesite (Godshuizenlaan).

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

At the desk at weekends and via the webshop, books and objects related to the programme are for sale. According to Visit Gent there is free Wi-Fi.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

The hall church, the cinema, the Oud Huis and Sheela's Bar can be used on days and evenings without a programme of their own, for example for book presentations, concerts, staff parties, receptions and lectures. The building always closes at 01:00.

Plan your visit