Mu.ZEE

About the museum

Mu.ZEE, short for “kunstmuseum aan zee” (art museum by the sea), emerged around 2008 from the merger of two Ostend museums: the Museum voor Schone Kunsten and the Provinciaal Museum voor Moderne Kunst (PMMK). In 2010 the museum took the form of a non-profit association (vzw). Since 2018 it has been an institution of the Flemish Community and the City of Ostend.

The main building on the Romestraat was originally a department store of the socialist cooperative S.E.O., built in 1949-1955 to a design by architect Gaston Eysselinck, with a distinctive curved glass wall. After the cooperative went bankrupt in 1981, the province of West Flanders bought the building. In 1986 the PMMK opened there with a retrospective of Constant Permeke. In 2021 Mu.ZEE reopened with a new vision.

The collection comprises more than 8,000 works and provides an overview of Belgian art from the nineteenth century onwards. It includes James Ensor, Léon Spilliaert, Constant Permeke and other Flemish expressionists, alongside contemporary artists. The museum also manages the Permekemuseum in Jabbeke and conducts research, for example on Ensor.

In January 2025 the main building closed for a thorough renovation; reopening is planned for 2028. Meanwhile, since 28 June 2025, Mu.ZEE has been showing parts of the collection in the Venetiaanse Gaanderijen, a stately building from 1900-1903 by architect Henri Maquet, on the Ostend dike.

Highlights

• Belgian art from 1880 to today, with work by Ensor, Spilliaert and Permeke among others
• Temporary home in the Venetiaanse Gaanderijen on the dike, with sea views
• Active storage depot with a look behind the scenes of a museum
• Changing thematic presentations of the collection in a gallery and a large hall

Permanent exhibition

• Actief depot – At the far end of the large hall, an active depot offers a look behind the scenes of the museum and its collection.

Founded

2008

Operated by

vzw Mu.ZEE (Vlaamse Gemeenschap en stad Oostende)

Director

Bruno Verbergt

Admission & discounts

Free admission with museumPASSmusées. All reduced rates are shown when you buy your ticket on the ticket page. It is best to buy your ticket online in advance, which avoids waiting times. Residents of Ostend with a UiTPAS at the social rate receive 80% off activities.

Accessibility

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

The Venetiaanse Gaanderijen are accessible, including to visitors with reduced mobility and people with a hearing or visual impairment. If you come by wheelchair, please let us know in advance and register at the desk; a wheelchair can be borrowed free of charge after booking. There are seats in the exhibition hall. There are informative gallery texts for people with a hearing impairment. Guide dogs are welcome. For blind and visually impaired visitors there is a workshop led by a guide.

Kids & families

• Stroller-friendly

The Venetiaanse Gaanderijen are accessible with pushchairs.

Getting there & parking

The Venetiaanse Gaanderijen lie on the Ostend sea dike, between the Koninklijke Gaanderijen and the Thermae Palace Hotel (corner of Zeedijk and Parijsstraat). They are easy to reach on foot, by public transport or by bicycle.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

A temporary museum shop has been set up in the exhibition. For a drink or lunch you can go to the catering businesses along the dike.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit