Arts and heritage

Museum Mayer van den Bergh
Flanders is synonymous with heritage. Our famed Flemish Masters’ genius and inimitable craftsmanship helped move art history in a different direction. Since then, many generations of creative people have followed their example, both in the arts and in other areas. We have castles and cathedrals, churches and belfries, tapestries and beguinages, artistic masterpieces and entire historic city centres. All attest to Flanders’ rich cultural heritage.

History is also present at Flanders Fields, which stand as silent but deafening witness to the First World War, bearing a message of universal peace. Flanders’ rich legacy is tangible, something which can be seen and felt.

Ensor2024

In 2024, it will be 75 years since the passing of James Ensor (1860 – 1949). Join us in celebrating the life of this renowned Flemish Master with various exhibitions, activities and events in Ostend, Brussels and Antwerp

JEnsor © KMSKA
The Fall of the Rebel Angels - © Google Art Project
Discover the Flemish Masters, a group of artists who revolutionized Western European painting. Learn about their lives, work, and where to see them in Flanders.
Nieuwpoort, Vigor Boucquet, Oordeel van Cambyses, (c) Dominique provost
Van Eyck. Rubens. The Flemish surrealists and expressionists. In Flanders, old and modern masters are at home. It is here where they lived and worked.
Poppies in Flanders Fields
From 1914 to 1918, Flanders Fields was a major battle theatre on the Western Front during the First World War.
Kasteel Gaasbeek
Opulent palaces, sturdy fortresses, historic castles and country estates, located along Flemish waterways.

Who are the Flemish Masters?

Bruegel
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, a Flemish Master, painted realistic and detailed scenes of peasant life and landscapes. Learn more about his life and work.
Self-portrait of Rubens  ©Rubenshuis Antwerpen collectiebeleid
Peter Paul Rubens, the most celebrated Flemish Master, was a master of Baroque painting. Learn about his life, work, and his masterpieces in Flanders.
Detail Lam Gods (the Ghent Altarpiece) © Sint-Baafskathedraal Gent, www.lukasweb.be – Art in Flanders, foto KIK-IRPA_0
Jan van Eyck, the genius behind the Ghent Altarpiece, was a master of oil painting and realism. Discover his work and where to see his masterpieces in Flanders.
Ensor - Self portrait with flower hat ©Mu.ZEE, www.lukasweb.be – Art in Flanders, foto Hugo Maertens
James Ensor, a key figure in the history of modern art, was born and raised in Flanders. Discover his life and work in this article.
Dieric Bouts
Dieric Bouts (approx. 1415 – 1475) is one of the great Flemish Primitives.

27 WWI memorial sites in Flanders Fields recognised as Unesco World Heritage

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