MACS – Musée des Arts Contemporains

About the museum

The MACS occupies the former Grand-Hornu coal mine, an ensemble of industrial architecture developed in the 19th century by Henri De Gorge and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2012. After the closure of the mines in 1954 and a threat of demolition, the site was bought in 1971 and then acquired in 1989 by the Province of Hainaut, which had it restored. In 1991 the decision was taken to install a contemporary art museum there, and the site was listed as Walloon heritage in 1993.

The museum officially opened its doors in 2002. It offers exhibitions of international scope in a double setting that combines the industrial history of the place with contemporary creation, and it hosts artists in residence or for projects created on site, such as Christian Boltanski, Anish Kapoor, Giuseppe Penone or Tony Oursler. Together with the CID, the centre for innovation and design of the Province of Hainaut, it forms a cultural hub that stages nearly ten exhibitions a year.

The museum's collection, begun in 1999, brings together about 550 works by some 200 Belgian and foreign artists. Its first piece is the installation “Les Registres du Grand-Hornu” by Christian Boltanski, made in 1997. Like a library of works, it is not permanently displayed on site and circulates through loans and collaborations.

Highlights

• Contemporary art exhibitions of international scope in the former Grand-Hornu coal mine
• 19th-century industrial site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List
• One ticket for the MACS, the CID and the historic site
• Free guided tours on every opening day
• Collection of about 550 works, including Christian Boltanski's installation

Founded

2002

Operated by

Province de Hainaut

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of the month (all visitors); first Wednesday of the month for schools (outside exhibition installation and dismantling periods).

The ticket gives access to the MACS, the CID and the historic coal mine site. Free admission for children under 6, teachers and holders of cards such as ICOM, AICA, Passeport 365, FWGT, museumPASSmusées or Amis du S.M.A.K. The Grand-Hornu site is accessible free of charge with a train ticket validated the same day to Mons or Saint-Ghislain. Partnerships with the Louvre-Lens (Carte Liberté) and with the S.M.A.K. in Ghent.

Accessibility

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

Entrance accessible to wheelchair users, with a call button to request help; accessible toilets and reserved parking near the entrance. Tours adapted for blind and visually impaired visitors, with models, thermoforms, musical excerpts and texts in Braille, in collaboration with Les Amis des Aveugles de Ghlin. Guide dogs welcome; other animals not admitted. An Access-i audit covers the car park, the café and the temporary exhibition room.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

For each exhibition, a visitor guide for young audiences and a children's lounge (reading corner, drawing materials) are offered. Family activities: “Baz'art” workshops (ages 8 to 12), spring and summer courses, “Jeudi des familles” during the holidays, children's private views, storytelling walks and a night at the museum.

Getting there & parking

By car from the E19 Brussels–Paris: take exit 25 “Saint-Ghislain-Tertre-Hornu”, then head towards Saint-Ghislain and Hornu and follow the signs to the site entrance. The site is 15 minutes from Mons, 50 minutes from Lille and 1 hour from Brussels.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop

Restaurant and café Rizom at the heart of the site (regional cuisine, open Tuesday to Sunday, also in the evening on Thursdays and Fridays, closed on Mondays), with a shop of Belgian products. Artshop in the former lamp room next to the ticket office: design objects, artist lithographs, catalogues and children's books.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit