Exhibitions to discover in Flanders this autumn

Hof van Busleyden Mechelen_© Pleun Samuels (5)
Sunlight streams through arched walkway toward a courtyard and brick buildings, with trees and a bicycle.
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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zaalbeeld_MSK_Gent_© Martin Corlazzoli voor MSK Gent
Visitor stands before a framed impressionist painting of workers in a colorful flower field in a museum gallery.

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.
Broeltorens Kortrijk_© Toerisme Leiestreek vzw
Broel Towers of Kortrijk at sunset

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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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 ...
🎒 Back to school — and into a luminous cultural autumn! ✨ What better painting to mark both moments than ‘The Village School’ by Jenny Montigny (1875–1937), one of Belgium’s remarkable female artists? From October, the mskgent will present a major retrospective of her work — more than a century after Montigny organised her first retrospective in Ghent in 1922. The connection with the museum is especially fitting: at just sixteen, Montigny reportedly visited the museum and was captivated by Emile Clau...
Let’s stick around at Museum hofvanbusleyden a little longer. And let’s turn the spotlight on a female master for a change. Yes, women were masters too! Although they often had to fight for their place. Meet Maria Faydherbe (1587–1643), a sculptor born and working in Mechelen. She was so confident in her own abilities that she openly competed with her male colleagues. She petitioned to join the Guild of Saint Luke, but she was refused. Instead, she was forced to work in her family’s workshop, without be...
During the Burgundian-Habsburg period, Mechelen played an important role in the education and upbringing of Habsburg princesses. Mary of Hungary spent part of her childhood here and was raised and educated alongside other members of the dynasty. Their stories offer a fascinating glimpse into the role of women in sixteenth-century European politics, diplomacy and dynastic power. There is no better place to discover this legacy than at Museum hofvanbusleyden in Mechelen. A newly acquired portrait of a ...
Let’s stick around at Museum hofvanbusleyden a little longer. And let’s turn the spotlight on a female master for a change. Yes, women were masters too! Although they often had to fight for their place. Meet Maria Faydherbe (1587–1643), a sculptor born and working in Mechelen. She was so confident in her own abilities that she openly competed with her male colleagues. She petitioned to join the Guild of Saint Luke, but she was refused. Instead, she was forced to work in her family’s workshop, without be...
A hidden Ensor painting has finally come to light. 👀🎨 A previously unknown painting by James Ensor has been acquired by the city of Ostend and is now on display at the Ensor House. The recently rediscovered painting portrays Ensor's mother at the age of 65. In true Ensor fashion, it is anything but flattering. Displayed beneath the portrait of a young woman and titled Débris – French for "wreck" or "remains" – the work offers a bold reflection on vanity, beauty and the passing of time. Even more remar...
Museum plantinmoretus in Antwerp is one of Europe's most remarkable UNESCO World Heritage Sites, where art, heritage and the history of printing come together. Far more than a museum, it is the beautifully preserved home of the Plantin-Moretus family, where nine generations lived, worked and built one of Europe's most influential printing houses. Within these historic walls, the first atlases, royal Bibles and groundbreaking scientific works were printed. Peter Paul Rubens, a close friend of the family...
☀️ Summer is in full swing, and there's no better way to enjoy it than by combining leisurely cycling with art and culture. Make Ghent your base camp and set off on a scenic ride to Sint-Martens-Latem. The picturesque village on the banks of the River Lys that became home to one of Belgium's most influential artists' colonies around the turn of the 20th century. Among its pioneers was Valerius De Saedeleer, one of Belgium's greatest landscape painters. Defying his father's wishes to pursue an artistic ...