Here are some great ideas to add to your cultural agenda this summer. Discover, or see again, works from our collection on show in exhibitions in Belgium and abroad.
Abroad
Par-delà les Mille et Une Nuits. Histoires des orientalismes
At the Louvre-Lens Museum in France, the exhibition Par-delà les Mille et Une Nuits (Beyond the Arabian Nights), is showing two important works from the Treasure of Oignies: the Reliquary Cross from the Holy Cross, known as the ‘Byzantine Cross’, and the reliquary vase said to be ‘of Sainte Hedwige’ These works bear witness to the exchanges taking place between the Orient and the West during the 13th century.
Until 20 July at the Musée du Louvre Lens
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Sèvres, a Rothschild passion
The exhibition Sèvres, une passion Rothschild, in Paris, has brought together for the first time a mustard pot and its tray with the rest of the porcelain service known as Miniature et Mosaïque (1767).
Until 26 July 2026 at the Galerie des Gobelins, Paris
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Peter Paul Rubens’s silver ewer at the Victoria & Albert Museum
This monumental ensemble, donated by Sir Pierre Bauchau and his wife, is now on show in the Silver Gallery of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The work is exhibited alongside pieces of British silverware and works by famous silversmiths.
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In Belgium
Les coulisses d'une collection
La Boverie in Liege is devoting a major exhibition that shows the richness of its own collections. Among the works presented are two acquired through philanthropic Funds of the King Baudouin Foundation: the bust of Anne-Josèphe Théroigne de Méricourt by Joseph Charles Marin and a sketchbook that belonged to Léonard Defrance.
Until 23 August at the Beaux-Arts de Liège (Boverie)
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Jean Marchetti Coiffeur, galeriste, éditeur. 50 ans de mots et d'images
This exhibition (Jean Marchetti, Hairdresser, Gallerist, Publisher. 50 Years of Words and Images), at the Centre de la Gravure, in La Louvière, highlights Marchetti’s remarkable career. He founded his publishing house, La Pierre d’Alun, in 1982 as a centre for dialogue between writers and visual artists. Five books from the collection La Pierre d’Angle, illustrated by François Schuiten and belonging to the King Baudouin Foundation, bear witness to Marchetti’s work as a publisher.
Until 30 August 2026 at the Centre de la Gravure et de l'Image imprimée, La Louvière
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Bigger Picture. Connected worlds of Bruges 900-1550
In Bruges, the exhibition Bigger Picture. Connected worlds of Bruges 900–1550 highlights the city as an international crossroads during the Middle Ages. It includes the Reliquary of Saint Nicolas, from the Treasure of Oignies, selected for its resonance with the themes of pilgrimages and journeys made by saints, and the development of North Sea trade and commerce.
Until 6 September 2026 at the BRUSK Art Gallery, Bruges
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Rings that Rock
In Antwerp, the Rings that Rock exhibition explores the symbolism of diamond rings from the 16th century to the present time, as representations of love, power and prestige. Two rings from the Foundation’s collection are featured: one bearing the monogram of Belgian King Leopold I, and the other a diamond cluster ring with a locket beneath it containing a portrait.
Until 8 November 2026 at the DIVA Museum, Antwerp
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Maisons-Bulles
At the Maison Autrique in Brussels, the exhibition Maisons-Bulles (literally Bubble Houses) examines the role of the house in comic strips. Artwork for pages from the album La Théorie du Grain de Sable by François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters are part of this artistic approach that explores the links between architecture, fiction et representation.
Until 7 March 2027 at the Maison Autrique, Brussels
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Philippe Derchain (1873-1947)
The Summa Villa Fund has recently acquired a work by the Verviers painter Maurice Pirenne, L'Armoire à glace (The Mirrored Cupboard, 1951), in an effort to enrich the collection of works by the Verviers Intimists at the Verviers Museum. The work finds its place perfectly in a retrospective exhibition devoted to Philippe Derchain, a painter of intimate family scenes, silent interiors and landscapes bathed in soft light.
Until August 1 2027 at the Verviers Museum
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The Wonder of Raoul Servais
In 2019, Raoul Servais donated a large part of his archives and graphic work to the King Baudouin Foundation, so that they could be preserved for future generations. This exhibition immerses the visitor in the poetic, inventive and sometimes disturbing universe of this pioneer of animated film in Belgium.
Until 30 September 2027 at the Saint Peter’s Abbey, Ghent
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Beloved. An Intimate Look at Masterpieces
43 people linked to museums in Antwerp (curators, guides, colleagues, art lovers, etc.) each chose one of the works from the Mayer van den Bergh Museum’s collection. These 43 works are exhibited at the Maagdenhuis whilst the Museum is being renovated. Portrait de Jan Vekemans, painted by Cornelis de Vos, is among the works selected!
Until 17 September 2028 at the Maagdenhuis, Antwerp
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From petrol to electric in the Grand-Place car park
At level -1 of the Grand-Place car park in Brussels, is an exhibition (with free entry) of historic petrol pumps shown in dialogue with charging points for electric vehicles, linking the past, present and future of mobility. The Shell petrol pumps, which were donated more than twenty years ago by Belgian Shell to the FSA Fund, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, are showcased in line with the Fund’s objectives.
Permanent exhibition at the Interparking car park of the Grand-Place, Brussels
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Judith Leyster’s work at Maison Snijders & Rockox, Antwerp
In this new presentation, calledthe HildeGARDEN, which pays homage to the outgoing Honorary Curator Hildegard Van de Velde, the painting Fleurs dans un vase (Flowers in a Vase), the only known floral still life painted by Judith Leyster, is one of the highlights.
Maison Snijders&Rockox
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