Exhibitions to discover in Flanders this autumn

Sunlight streams through arched walkway toward a courtyard and brick buildings, with trees and a bicycle.
Pleun Samuels
Flanders is a treasure trove for art lovers. Alongside its remarkable museum collections, the region offers a rich programme of temporary exhibitions that are well worth adding to your itinerary. This season, we’ve selected five highlights across Flanders, each offering a unique perspective on art, artists and the worlds they inhabit. Thanks to Flanders’ compact size and excellent transport connections, you can easily combine several of these highlights into one inspiring cultural journey.

Jean Brusselmans at Bozar in Brussels

Don't miss the first major Jean Brusselmans retrospective in over 40 years. Discover around 120 works by one of Belgium's most distinctive yet still underappreciated painters. Inspired by the Brabant landscape surrounding Brussels, his unique style balances abstraction and figuration, revealing an authentic artistic vision that continues to captivate today.

On view at Bozar in Brussels from 2 October.

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Still life painting with patterned textile, fruit basket, abstract shapes on paper, and a gray vase on a table.
Still Life with Slices of Smoked Sausage, 1936, oil on canvas, Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp - Flemish Community © photo: Hugo Maertens, public domain

Jenny Montigny at MSK in Ghent

Don’t miss the first major Jenny Montigny retrospective in a century. Discover the poetic world of this Ghent-born Impressionist artist through her intimate and luminous paintings, pastels, drawings and etchings. Celebrating her individuality and artistic vision, the exhibition reveals the remarkable oeuvre of an independent female artist whose work deserves renewed recognition. 

On view at MSK in Ghent from 10 October.  

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Visitor stands before a framed impressionist painting of workers in a colorful flower field in a museum gallery.
Martin_Corlazzoli_voor_MSK_Gent

Van Hemessen & Father at Snijders&Rockoxhuis in Antwerp

Don’t miss the first retrospective dedicated to the Van Hemessen family. Discover the story of Jan and Catharina van Hemessen, a pioneering father and daughter who helped shape the Antwerp Renaissance. Bringing together their remarkable works, the exhibition reveals a unique artistic family enterprise where talent, experimentation and creativity flourished across generations. Rediscover a forgotten chapter of art history. A landmark exhibition organised in collaboration with the National Gallery, London.

On view at Snijders&Rockoxhuis in Antwerp from 15 October.  

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Painting of a winged figure in red holding a skull and pointing at it, with a scroll of Latin text.
© GrandPalaisRmn (PBA, Lille) / Stéphane Maréchall

Burgundian Dining at Museum Hof van Busleyden in Mechelen

Discover the origins of our Burgundian way of life. Discover how food, feasting and social rituals shaped the culture of the Low Countries 500 years ago. From extravagant banquets to everyday kitchens, markets and fields, the exhibition reveals the stories behind our shared culinary heritage — and challenges the myths of luxury and excess.

On view at Museum Hof van Busleyden in Mechelen from 31 October.

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Renaissance painting of nobles at a banquet table, in ornate dress, with servants and food set on white linen.
(c) National Museum in Warsaw

After Nature. Beauty and Decay, from Savery to Today at ABBY in Kortrijk

Follow in the footsteps of Flemish landscape painter Roelant Savery and step into a world that blossoms and burns. Celebrating the 450th anniversary of the Kortrijk-born master, this exhibition brings together more than 20 of his masterpieces with contemporary art. From fantastical creatures to endangered species, discover a timeless dialogue on nature’s beauty, fragility and resilience.  

On view at ABBY in Kortrijk from 30 October.

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Black-and-white dog by a lake watching a forest wildfire with flames and smoke behind the trees
© Antoine Roegiers, Le témoin silencieux, 2025, courtesy of the artist and Keteleer Gallery

Explore more about our Flemish Masters and plan your next trip to Flanders

A chaotic, crowded scene of a mythical battle between angels and demons, filled with vibrant colors and intricate, fantastical creatures in motion.
©Google Art Project

Flemish Masters

Discover the life stories of Flemish Primitives, Flemish Masters and iconic artists up to the interwar period at inspiring heritage sites in Flanders.
Broel Towers of Kortrijk at sunset
Toerisme Leiestreek vzw

Inspiring itineraries

Explore Flanders with these inspiring travel suggestions: from vibrant, charming cities to quiet regions full of nature, culture and heritage.

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Map of Flanders

Travelling to, in and around Flanders

Because of its compactness, Flanders is an easy place to travel to, in and around. all of Flanders' cities are within reach of each other and easily accessible

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Here’s another exciting exhibition that has just opened in Flanders. And a very delicious one! hofvanbusleyden in Mechelen is hosting ‘Burgundian Dining’. 🍷🍽️ Where does our reputation for enjoying the finer things in life really come from? Step into the world of the Burgundian Low Countries, with its lavish banquets, bustling kitchens, lively markets and welcoming inns. The exhibition offers a fascinating glimpse into the dining habits and culinary traditions of the past. With rare masterpieces and a ...
On this day in 1937, Flemish Impressionist Jenny Montigny passed away. On the eve of All Saints’ Day, and just two days before All Souls’ Day, we remember this remarkable and determined artist and celebrate the legacy she left behind. ✨ Discover the world of Jenny Montigny now at mskgent. Link in bio! 📅 On view until 10 January 2027. 📷 Self-portrait, undated, unsigned, Private Collection Gallery views © Martin Corlazzoli #JennyMontigny #FlemishMasters #FlemishArt #FlemishImpressionism #MSKGent #Visit...
What if nature could be imagined differently? 🌿 Meet Roelant Savery (1576–1639), making his first appearance on The Flemish Masters. Born in Kortrijk, Savery became internationally renowned for his extraordinary depictions of nature. Observing plants, animals and landscapes with remarkable precision, he often brought them together in imaginative worlds where species that would never meet in reality coexist. More than 400 years later, his fascination with nature continues to inspire. In 'After Nature. ...
An international first! For the first time ever, an exhibition brings together the work of the sixteenth-century Van Hemessen family, shining a light on these forgotten pioneers of the Antwerp Renaissance. At its heart is the artistic relationship between father Jan and daughter Catharina, whose work and experimentation left a lasting mark on art history. Though now recognised as a key figure in Western art, Catharina has never before been celebrated in an exhibition of this scale. Works from 24 inter...
✨ Here’s another highlight of the cultural autumn in Flanders — and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Last weekend, Jenny Montigny opened at mskgent, inviting visitors into the poetic world of one of the most remarkable Flemish Impressionists of her generation. Through paintings, pastels, drawings and prints, discover Montigny’s remarkable eye for light, colour and everyday life — from the rural landscapes along the River Lys to intimate scenes of motherhood and domestic life. Bringing together works ...
Flemish painters travelled to Italy in search of the Renaissance. But they weren’t the only ones crossing the Alps. Flemish sculptors made the journey too — and their influence on Italian Renaissance art is the fascinating story behind ‘Scultori Fiamminghi. Flemish Sculptors’ in Italy, which opened last weekend at m.leuven. Just as Italian ideas, styles and techniques travelled north and transformed Flemish painting, Flemish artists brought their own expertise and visual language to Italy. Their work ...
Last weekend, our first exhibition highlight of the season opened its doors. 🎨 bozarbrussels presents 'Jean Brusselmans. Painter by Nature’, the first major retrospective of his work since 1980. Brusselmans developed a distinctive visual language, independent of artistic trends yet deeply rooted in painterly tradition. His intimate connection to the Brabant landscape around Brussels, and his modest way of life, found expression in paintings poised between abstraction and figuration. Bringing together s...
This painting changed someone’s life forever. You are looking at The Skaters by Emile Claus. At the age of sixteen, Jenny Montigny reportedly stood in front of this painting at the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent. The encounter left such a lasting impression that it set her on the path to becoming an artist. Now, more than a century after her major retrospective in Ghent in 1922, Montigny returns to mskgent. From 10 October 2026, a major retrospective will bring together her intimate and luminous paintings...
A change of season 🍂 Summer is officially over, and autumn is here — bringing golden light, warm colours and that unmistakable feeling of change. A feast for the eyes? Look no further than Autumn by Rik Wouters. Painted in 1913, this vibrant scene captures the season in all its colour and warmth. Consider it an invitation to enjoy an autumn city break in Flanders. So grab your scarf, pack your suitcase and come discover an art-filled autumn. 🍁 Stay tuned for more Flemish art, exhibitions and inspirat...
After 14 years of painstaking work, the restoration of one of the most iconic masterpieces of late medieval art is nearing completion. The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb — better known as the Ghent Altarpiece — is slowly revealing its full splendour, bringing us closer than ever to the extraordinary vision of Hubert and Jan van Eyck. Now entering its final months, the restoration campaign offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes. Visitors can still see the experts of kikirpa.be at work in their studio at ...