If you are trying to learn about art in Antwerp you are definitely in the right place and our first section will fully cover the best art galleries and museums near you.
After that we will get into a variety of other topics like art supply stores, events, festivals, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, local sculptures and statues, art classes, studios for rent, and the top frame shops in your area.
Contents
You can jump straight to any section that interests you most by using the table of contents on the left and we are also including an Antwerp art map with all of the spots we mention throughout the post pinned on it.
Click here to look through more of our posts on Europe.
Best Art Galleries & Museums In Antwerp
If you want to check out the best art galleries and museums in Antwerp you can head to:
- Museum of Contemporary Art at Leuvenstraat 32
- Royal Museum of Fine Arts at Leopold de Waelplaats 2
- Stieglitz 19 at Klapdorp 2
- Tim Van Laere Gallery at Jos Smolderenstraat 50
- Annie Gentils Gallery at Peter Benoitstraat 40
- Galerie Jamar at Cockerillkaai 16
- Galerie Verbeeck Van Dyck at Verbindingsdok Westkaai 12
- Galerie Van Der Planken at Riemstraat 12
- Valerie Traan Gallery at Reyndersstraat 12
- Micheline Szwajcer at Verlatstraat 14
- Museum Mayer van den Bergh at Lange Gasthuisstraat 19
There are nearly 5,000 works created by nearly 700 artists in the collection at Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp and many of them are available for rent. You can usually head over from 11am to 6pm to check out all they have to offer but they are closed on Monday and stay open until 9pm on Thursday
The only Flemish Museum with high-level scientific status is the Royal Museum of Fine Arts where James Ensor and Rik Wouters are two of the premiere artists on display starting at 10am daily.
You can find a great collection of Belgian modern and contemporary art in your area at the Galerie Jamar from artists like James Ensor, Pierre Alechinsky, Jef Geys, Léon Spilliaert, Marcel Broodthaers, Jan Fabre and Panamarenko.
At Galerie Verbeeck Van Dyck which is open from 1pm to 6pm Friday through Sunday they have a variety of major exhibits throughout the year including a recent one by Roberto Salas.
Check out the works or use some of their services at Galerie Van Der Planken like consultations for private acquisition, certified appraisals, framing, and professional restoration. They are open from 2pm to 6pm on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday plus you can visit them on Friday if you make an appointment.
Head to Museum Mayer van den Bergh on the last Wednesday of each month when entry is free of charge and check out their more than 3,000 items on display. They keep regular hours of from 10am to 5pm every day but Monday when they are closed and one of their prime exhibitions features the world-famous painting Mad Meg by Pieter Bruegel and The Madonna by Jean Fouquet.
Materials & Supplies Near You
The best local stores to buy art supplies and materials are:
- Obeeliks at Tolstraat 73
- De Wieuw at Scheldestraat 59
- Schleiper at Belgiëlei 76
- Academia at Mutsaardstraat 38
- Ava at Brederodestraat 9-15
- Action in Stadsfeestzaal
- De Banier Creative at Kipdorp 30
- Lucas Creativ Merksem at Bredabaan 829A
Obeeliks sells more than 1,500 art and hobby items in a variety of categories.
At De Wieuw they have more than 100,000 materials and supplies to choose from and can also help with framing.
Academia specializes in airbrush materials and in having a wide selection of canvases available.
Lucas Creativ Merksem is the largest arts, crafts, and hobby supply chain store in The Flemish Region of Belgium. They provide framing services, give workshops, and have local art courses available in their 14 stores.
Shows & Events
Some of the top art shows and events held in your area are:
- Slow Art Day in April
- Antwerp Art Weekend in May
- Queer Arts Festival in August
- Antwerp Art Fair in October
Every April you can enjoy the Slow Art Day Event which takes place in a few museums and galleries around the city.
Antwerp Art Weekend is a four day artwalk to celebrate the contemporary art in the city which has more than 70 indoor and outdoor locations to check out every May.
Then in August you have the Queer Arts Festival where local and international artists and performers show off their latest works plus there will be music, dance, film, literature readings, theatre and other performances.
Antwerp Expo is where to go for the Art Fair that takes place every October. Expect to find more than 80 international galleries showing off their collections plus there will be lots of affordable or more prestigious artworks available to buy.
Art Dealers & Appraisers
When you are trying to find a new piece for your collection or to figure out the true value of something visit one of these art dealers and appraisers near you:
- Philippe Group at Korte Riddersstraat 25
- Pljoesjkin at Boomgaardstraat 260
- Galerie Lowet de Wotrenge at Vleminckveld 74
- Arends & Tammes Fine Arts at Mechelsesteenweg 214
- Tapestry Art at Diksmuidelaan 95
The Philippe Group has been in the fine arts business since the early 1700’s! In addition to buying and selling art in your area themselves they also can provide free appraisals.
If you want help with buying a new piece for your collection or selling an old one Galerie Lowet is a good contact to have as they can do appraisals and are happy to work as agents for private sellers and institutional clients. That means they will go to the auctions or art fairs, check out the pieces, and will even do the bidding on your behalf.
In addition to providing valuations, advice, and restoration services Arends & Tammes Fine Arts can also help offer their expertise for those who want to buy or sell collections in auction houses or anywhere.
Walking Tours
Art walking tours can be a lot of fun when the weather is nice:
- Street Art Antwerp at D’Herbouvillekaar
- Antwerp Art at Eikelstraat 25
Street Art Antwerp works to promote street art as a contemporary form by organizing street tours that will take you past the coolest graffiti and street art hotspots near you.
Antwerp Art is the organizer of the Art Weekend we mentioned in the events section that takes place every May and any time one of those events is going down would be a good time to try and find your own unique artwalk.
Sculptures & Statues
You may also want to take some photos of these statues and sculptures:
- Nello & Patrache Statue at Handschoenmarkt 3/21
- Vissende Arend at Wapper
- The Whisperer at Godefriduskaai 12
- Brabo’s Monument at Grote Markt
- Arbeid Vrijheid at Gildekamersstraat 3
Yvonne Bastiaans was the creator of the Nello & Patrache Statue which you can find near Brabo’s Monument around the Grote Markt.
The bronze sculpture of an eagle who is fishing called Vissende Arend was sculpted by Danish artist Hugo Lisberg.
The Whisperer was put up on the roof of a warehouse next to the MAS and Belgian Campine artist Daisy Boman was the brainchild behind them.
Belgian sculptor Jef Lambeaux created Brabo’s Monument to commemorate legendary hero Salvius Braboin the late 1890’s which you can find at the Grand Palace today.
Constantin Émile Meunier unveiled his Arbeid Vrijheid statue in 1950 near city hall.
Antwerp Art Classes
Whether you are trying to find private lessons or group classes for kids, teens, or adults the best art schools in Antwerp would be:
- Royal Academy of Fine Arts at Mutsaardstraat 31
- Academie Antwerpen Dko at Blindestraat 35
- Hoboken Academy of Fine Arts at Oudestraat 41
- St Lucas Kunstsecundair Antwerpen at Sint-Jozefstraat 35
The Royal Academy of Fine Arts is the only international art school in Antwerp and it was founded in 1663 making it the fourth oldest art academy on the planet. They have exchange programs or bachelor and master programs in visual arts for full-time degree students and even have an educational master in visual arts programs for those who want to be a teacher themselves one day.
There are art classes for kids 6 years and older or adults at Academie Antwerpen Dko who provides weekend and evening classes plus their instructors give experimental free drawing lessons.
There are 11 locations of Hoboken Academy of Fine Arts where the classes start with kids ages 6 and up plus they are happy to teach art, dance, music, drama, and other media to adults.
There are 9 different departments available at St Lucas Kunstsecundair ranging from drama to music to dance to word art to visual arts.
Lucas Creativ Merksem from the supplies list also offers art lessons in your area.
Studios For Rent Near You
You can try to rent local art studio space at:
- Air Antwerpen at Oosterweelsteenweg 3
- Sukoon Studio at Oudeleeuwenrui 34a
- Aair at Ploegstraat 27
Framing
For art framing services in Antwerp try out:
- Frame Craft at Mechelsesteenweg 69
- Atelier Luc De Backer at Gallifortlei 19
They also sell painting hanging systems and can provide services like frame rentals and art restorations.
Galerie Van Der Planken from the best museums near you list and most of the stores from the supplies list also do framing.
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Have Fun Enjoying The Antwerp Art Scene
The full art scene near you was just broken down as well as we could. You hopefully learned a little something about the best galleries, museums, events, shows, supply stores, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures, classes, studios, and framers that you may want to check out.
If you made it this far you might just know quite a bit about the local art scene yourself. Feel free to share your own tips, or to let us know if we may have gotten anything wrong in the comments.
We hope you enjoy your time at the best Antwerp art galleries, museums, supply stores, or doing whatever else you plan to do with the info.
