For more than three years a team of international experts worked on the restoration of the Dymphna altarpiece from the collection of The Phoebus Foundation. In the book ‘Crazy about Dymphna’ we shed new light on this unique artwork. . Discover the exceptional stories, forgotten for centuries, that unfolded beneath those layers of dust and dirt.

From Memling to Rubens is a rollercoaster ride through three hundred years of cultural history, starring the breathtaking masterpieces from the collection of The Phoebus Foundation. COMING SOON

The Bold and the Beautiful is an appointment with history: a meeting through the art of portrait painting with men and women from bygone centuries. This book takes masterpieces from the collection of The Phoebus Foundation and outlines the broad context in which they came into being, peeling back levels of meaning like the layers of an onion.

The medieval legend about the famous Flemish scoundrel 'Reynaert the fox' is a literary classic. Discover the adventures of the sly Reynaert and his unfortunate companions in this 21st century retelling. Only available in Dutch.

COMING HOME brings to vivid life the broad cultural context of the Flemish belle époque and the years between the twentieth century's two world wars. It's a book about Symbolism, Impressionism and Expressionism, and a forgotten piece of art history. But above all, COMING HOME is a story about roots and the search for a sense of belonging in a rapidly changing world - a quest as relevant today as it was then.

In many respects, the Middle Ages in the southern Low Countries were more modern than the widely acclaimed Renaissance. In this book, young researchers sweep you off on a journey through these fascinating 'golden times' of dynamic cities, independent women, international networks of trade and commerce, organized workers and world-class artists. The economic history of the Middle Ages is described from the innovative perspective of various groups in society and illustrated with artworks from the rich collection of The Phoebus Foundation.

Hendrick de Clerck, court artist for the Flemish Archdukes Albrecht and Isabella, masterfully developed a visual propaganda avant la lettre. This monograph places his impressive career at the beginning of the seventeenth century in its context.

The Birth of Capitalism is a binovular Twin Book in which two idiosyncratic authors give their views on the social, economic, cultural and religious developments in the medieval Southern Netherlands.

An introduction to the subcontinent's art history, presenting for the first time The Phoebus Foundation’s Latin American art collection. Nowhere is the geographical diversity of a continent more evident than in this publication.

A standard book on the history of ancient textile art. For the first time, it presents the highlights of a world-renowned textile collection of The Phoebus Foundation: more than 300 fabrics and textile-related objects (jewellery, combs, hairpins, etc.).

In the first Phoebus Focus, a small triptych with the depiction of Saint Luke painting the Madonna is analyzed in depth. Thanks to the combination of art-historical and material-technical research, this remarkable artwork regained some of its forgotten meaning. Only available in Dutch.

Things are not always what they seem, like in the Still Life painting with the depiction of Christ in the house of Marta and Mary. If the title does not guide our gaze, this scene would seem to be a banal still life. It is only for those who look attentively that the painting opens a whole world, carefully explained in this Phoebus Focus. Only available in Dutch.

The Allegory of the Seven Liberal Arts is a masterpiece from the Flemish painter Maerten de Vos. For the first time this unique artwork is analyzed in depth and placed in its historical context. Only available in Dutch.

The fable ‘Van den vos Reynaerde’ was written in the 13th century Flanders. The fox is an antihero: a villain - even a murderer - who mercilessly denounces the hypocrisy of the establishment. The The Phoebus Foundation has a collection with some five hundred publications, reprints and translations of the original Reynaert story. This Phoebus Focus highlights his continued remarkable history. Only available in Dutch.

The Mere-Monster of Lake Tagua Tagua is an intriguing and enigmatic artwork from the collection of The Phoebus Foundation. This absurd animal is the synthesis of more than 300 years of image building. Even more, the Mere-Monsters Monster turns out to be pure political propaganda.

In the 17th century, the Jesuit Daniel Seghers must have been some kind of pop star. He worked with Peter Paul Rubens, Cornelis Schut, Gonzales Coques and Erasmus II Quellinus. The highest nobility couldn’t get enough of his flower paintings. Years of thorough and refreshing material-technical research helps to lift the veil between past and present. Discover this remarkable master and his highly appraised craftmanship. Only available in Dutch.

Peter Snayers specialized in painting scenes of war and combat. In addition to large canvases that glorified military campaigns, he also depicted the ordinary man or woman, plagued by the daily reality of war. The theme ‘A raid on travellers’ is crucial for the oeuvre of Peter Snayers. This Phoebus Focus tells the story of a forgotten master and his place in the turbulent history of the Low Countries. Only available in Dutch.

This Phoebus Focus highlights an artwork with the depiction of Phoebus Apollo by the baroque master Jan Boeckhorst. Phoebus is the sun god after whom The Phoebus Foundation is named. He is the protector of the muses and thus of the arts. He is also a symbol of light and the sun and is intensely connected with the 'golden age': a mythical era full of endless abundance and justice. Only available in Dutch.

In this publication, Timothy De Paepe peels the layers of a late sixteenth-century scene, as if it were an onion. If you look superficially, you see what the title of the work promises: elegantly dressed figures celebrating in a garden. But as the author lets you look with the eyes of a sixteenth-century man. He takes you into a world of entertainment and dance, but also of foolishness, envy and lust. Only available in Dutch.

In this Phoebus Focus edition, Leen Kelchtermans undresses the young woman represented in this artwork, without damaging her honor. By carefully examining each piece of clothing and each accessory, the author gives the young woman back her well-deserved dignity. This Phoebus Focus offers a fascinating insight into the woman’s bygone reality: how she dressed, according to which norms and values she lived, and what it meant to be married in 1613. Only available in Dutch.

‘Mondeken toe’ shows that the boundary between paintings and texts is wafer-thin and that the highest wisdom is sometimes a foolish game. As a connoisseur of Massijs, Bosch and the unique imagery of the Northern Renaissance, Larry Silver dissects all the motifs of the painting. The result is a special analysis of a curious scene, which even after five centuries turns out to be gripped from life. Only available in Dutch.

In this Phoebus Focus, sculpture specialist Marjan Debaene unfolds the forgotten history of the the Jan Borman and his illustrious family. His grandiose statue of the Madonna and Child forms the starting point for this unique study. Only available in Dutch.

In 2018, The Phoebus Foundation acquired one of Christopher Plantin's twelve royal bibles, which he printed on parchment. It is the last copy that was still in private hands. In this Phoebus Focus, doctor Dirk Imhof-sketches the context and meaning of this Biblia regia. Only available in Dutch

In this Phoebus Focus restorer Naomi Meulemans analyses the work of CoBrA artist Karel Appel. Like no one else, she can extract secrets from the materiality of the paint. The author dissects Appel's painting layer after layer. The result is somewhat sobering. Were the CoBrA artists as 'free' as they wanted to believe themselves? Only available in Dutch

Rubens expert Nils Büttner analyses the most intimate work of the Antwerp pictor doctus in the collection of The Phoebus Foundation. He discovers the many similarities with other works of art by the master.

This Phoebus Focus explores Guicciardini's masterpiece and its fascinating history. The reader gets a taste of the many themes that the Italian authors address in his magnum opus.

Archaeologist Petra Linscheid introduces the unique collection of historical Egyptian headgear from The Phoebus Foundation. These rare pieces cover more than a 1000 year of fashion history.

Who was Elisabeth Jordaens? When did her father, the famous Jacob Jordaens, portray her and why does she look like a peasant woman? In this Phoebus Focus edition, Leen Kelchtermans investigates the context behind the blushing portrait of Elisabeth Jordaens in the collection of The Phoebus Foundation.

This painting of a Young Woman by the Brussels artist Michaelina Wautier appears at first sight to be an ordinary study. Nothing could be further from the truth! A look in detail and behind the layers of paint reveals great secrets of this forgotten important artist.

In this Phoebus Focus edition, Lieke Wijnia takes the reader through the history of Saint Mary Magdalene and the little-known artist Melchior de la Mars. Moreover, the author holds up a mirror. In these crazy COVID times, De la Mars’s Mary Magdalene is perhaps more relevant than ever.

Rubens, Van Dyck, Jordaens… Antwerp is famous because of her many talented artists. But what about Brussels?
In this edition of Phoebus Focus, researcher Lara Yeager-Crasselt takes you to the roaring Brussels art scene with a focus on the extraordinary portraiture, with Michael Sweerts as pioneer.

In this edition of 'Phoebus Focus', no less than three specialists examine two of the sketches that Baroque master Abraham Van Diepenbeeck made for the stained-glass windows of the Antwerp St. Paul's Church. The stained-glass windows themselves have not survived the ravages of time and so these sketches are invaluable for the reconstruction of the church's original interior.

The Belgian city Geel wouldn’t exist without its patron saint Dymphna. The history of this small town in the province of Antwerp is inextricably intertwined with the Irish saint. This publication is entirely devoted to the special relationship of Dymphna and Geel. Get to know how a medieval cult of a saint grew into modern psychiatry and family care.

From Memling to Rubens tells the rich history of more than three centuries of Flemish art. For the first time ever, The Phoebus Foundation is travelling abroad with its exceptional artworks. More than one hundred masterpieces from the collection of Old Masters will be on display from April 2021 in the northern Hanseatic city of Tallinn (Estonia).

Lace is a fabric of threads, a paragon of craft and precision, and brimming with history. Its evolution is closely linked to the enterprising Northern cities of the late Middle Ages. Only available in Dutch.

Those who say Reynaert, spontaneously think of the mischievous villain with his sharp tongue who count on a lot of sympathy. VOSSEN tells the story of Reynaert the fox and his relation with the Belgian region ‘Het Land van Waas’. Only available in Dutch.

This OKV issue brings to vivid life the broad cultural context of the Flemish belle époque and the years between the twentieth century's two world wars. It's a book about Symbolism, Impressionism and Expressionism, and a forgotten piece of art history. But above all, COMING HOME is a story about roots and the search for a sense of belonging in a rapidly changing world - a quest as relevant today as it was then. Only available in Dutch.

From about 1200 a new human being rises in what is now called Flanders. This person is practical, innovative and enterprising. The Birth of Capitalism tells the story of this new man. Explore a world of unseen fascination with ingenious discoveries and walk the path of wicked sin. Only available in Dutch.

This OKV theme issue appeared in the spring of 2020 for the occasion of the portrait exhibition 'Blind Date'. The booklet guides you through a few subjects that appeal to the imagination within the history of 500 years of portraiture. Only available in Dutch.