Today you can read the second travelpost about museums in Antwerp. Two weeks ago I told you about the MAS and the Red Star Line Museum (see this post) and this week I will take you to the MoMu and the Rubens House!

So if you’ve got a few days off and don’t know what to do… read on I’d say 🙂

MOMU

What

As Antwerp is the home of the Antwerp Royal Academy for Fine Arts with its illustrious Fashion Department, this city needs a museum about fashion.

The MoMu (ModeMuseum) can be found at the ModeNatie, a 19th century building which used to be a department store. Besides the MoMu, you can also find the Flanders Fashion Institute (FFI), the fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts – Artesis Hogeschool Antwerp and the Copyright Bookshop in this building.

There is no permanent collection. Twice a year the MoMu presents a new exposition. The expo’s are often on a certain designer or they focus on a fashion related item.

Current expositions

Margiela, the Hermès years (until August 27th): for more information about this stunning expo, I refer to a blogpost I wrote a couple of weeks ago.

Nicole & Hugo: swinging Ann Salens (until August 27th): in the gallery you can see colourful dresses by Belgian fashion designer Ann Salens, from the wardrobe of Nicole & Hugo (= a Belgian entertainment duo). Besides the flamboyant dresses, you can also see unique photo and vido material.

Where

MoMu, Nationalestraat 28, 2000 Antwerpen

Website

https://www.momu.be/en.html

THE RUBENS HOUSE

What

The Rubens House is a museum about the Flemish Master Peter Paul Rubens. He is considered to be the most notable artist of the Flemish Baroque art school.

In 1610 he bought this house in Antwerp which was later enlarged after his own design. After all the changes, it had the air of an Italian palazzo. He lived and worked in this place until his death in 1640.

The building has been altered during the following centuries, but this house has still a medieval feel about it ànd it is packed with magnificent art…

What’s to be seen in the Rubenshuis?

• Permanent collection of masterpieces by Rubens, but also by his peers and contemporaries like Anthony Van Dyck.
• The house itself: Rubens bought this house in 1610 and he drew the plans for the renovation himself.
• Garden: reconstruction of a garden in Rubens’s time. The garden will be newly laid out in the coming years.
• Studio: most of his works were created in this huge studio.
• Portico and courtyard: the portico connects the house and studio and also served as a gateway to the garden.

Where

Rubenshuis, Wapper 9-11, 2000 Antwerpen

Website

http://www.rubenshuis.be/en

Fashion and Rubens… two terms unmistakenly typical for Antwerp… Visit these two museums and you’ll understand why!

Do scroll all the way down to see much more pictures of the stunning Rubens House!

Love, Kathleen