The building was inaugurated on the 9th of May 1904. The architect was Charles van Rijsselberghe. After the second World War the museum was reorganized and again opened to the public in 1951.

A large part of the collection was brought together at the end of the 18th century after a lot of churches and monasteries had been closed during the French occupation. Later, the museum acquired other works via purchase or donations. At the entrance of the building two series of Brussels wall tapestries can be seen. The series called 'The history of Darius' dates from the 17th century. The other series 'The glorification of the Gods' comes from the beginning of the 18th century and used to hang in the 'Gravensteen' or Castle of the Count which can still be visited in the center of Ghent.

The 14th-18th century masters.

(Under : The Cross-Bearer by Hieronymus Bosch)

Rooms A and B contain works from the fifteenth century. Among the most important are: 'Madonna with the carnation' from the school of Rogier van der Weyden, a 'Coronation of Mary' and a 'Family of Saint Anne' painted in Gent. The two masterpieces of the museum can be seen here : 'The Temptation of St. Hieronymus' and 'The Cross-Bearer' by Hieronymus Bosch. Further noteworthy works are: the Pieta from the school of Hugo van der Goes and 'The conquest of Jerusalem by Tito' from a 15th century master from Ghent.

Room C shows paintings from the 16th century: 'The Adoration of the Magi' by Colijn de Coter, 'Village Feast' by Gillis Mostaert and three paintings by Pieter Bruegel II are among the most important.

Room D's topic is the Renaissance painting in the Low Countries. works from painters such as Jacob de Backer, Maarten van Heemskerck, Maerten de Vos, Rafael Coxie, Roeland Savery, Pieter Bruegel II and others.

Room E and following: 17th century painting in the Southern Netherlands. 'The flagellation of Christ' by P.P.Rubens, and works by Van Dijck, Jordaens and Cornelis de Vos. In this section one can also study the influence of Caravaggio, Rubens and Pieter Bruegel the Elder on the painting styles of the Low Countries.

The modern masters.

The museum possesses an important collection of Belgian paintings from both the 19th and 20th century. Different styles such as neoclassicism, realism, impressionism and Flemish expressionism are represented with works from Emile Claus, Gustave De Smet, Theo van Rijsselberghe and James Ensor. Foreign masters are: Bourdelle, Rodin, Marquet, Daumier, Rousseau, Boudin and others.

Admission hours and entrance fees : VisitGent.be

© All texts and pictures Copyright Trabel.com and Arakea.com.
Their use is not permitted without prior agreement.
Design by The Manta