Inside the historic Den Argentin warehouse, the history of the Port of Antwerp comes to life through more than 1,200 objects, from tools and vehicles to everyday items once used on the quays.
Step inside Den Argentin today and you enter a world that long helped set the rhythm of life in Antwerp. Loading and unloading, stacking and weighing, transporting and storing: generations of dockworkers kept goods moving, at a time when much of the work was still done by hand or with mechanical equipment, before containerisation radically transformed the port.
The Maritime and Logistics Heritage collection of The Phoebus Foundation preserves the material traces of this activity. Large machines sit alongside hand tools, vehicles, documents and other equipment once used on and around the quays. Together, they tell the story not only of the port’s technical and logistical development, but also of the everyday work of the people who kept it moving.
From Warehouse to Heritage
Den Argentin is more than a place for storage. The building itself is part of the history told here.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, Antwerp underwent a period of profound change. The Spanish fortifications were demolished, the port expanded, and warehouses and industrial buildings sprang up along the city’s new boundaries. It was against this backdrop that wool merchant Jean Jacques Melges commissioned a warehouse complex in the 1870s. The wool stored there, imported from Argentina’s Río de la Plata region, gave the complex its name: Magasins Argentins, later known as Den Argentin.
In 1918, the warehouse was acquired by Katoen Natie. The original complex, however, did not survive much longer. In December 1944, it was destroyed by a V-bomb. After the war, Den Argentin was rebuilt to a design by architect Victor Maeremans.
Meanwhile, port activity gradually shifted further north, leaving Den Argentin as a witness to Antwerp’s changing urban landscape. Where wool and other goods once passed through, the material history of life in the Port of Antwerp is preserved today.
Heritage Day Flanders 2026
During Heritage Day Flanders on Sunday 13 September 2026, Den Argentin will be open to visitors free of charge. From 10 am to 4 pm, explore the collection and the stories behind its objects, brought to life by volunteers with an exceptional knowledge of Antwerp’s port history.
A rare opportunity to experience a lesser-known chapter of Antwerp’s port history up close.
Location Den Argentin De Pretstraat 5 2060 Antwerp
The entrance to the warehouse is through the large grey gate opposite De Pretstraat 5.
Katoen Natie, The Phoebus Foundation, Indaver and Hannibal Books are creating the world’s largest carillon
Grandchildren Emmanuelle and Robert Huts strike the first note of the Singelberg Carillon, opening a new chapter in five centuries of carillon history
On 18 August 2026, the Singelberg Carillon begins to take shape with the casting of its first bell. At Royal Eijsbouts in Asten, this marks the start of a monumental new concert carillon made up of 81 bells, spanning six and a half octaves and weighing around 60 tonnes in total. Fernand and Karine Huts’ grandchildren give the bell its first symbolic strike. It is a fitting way to mark what this project is really about: not only creating an extraordinary musical instrument, but passing on a centuries-old heritage from one generation to the next.
Not with a gala concert or an official opening, but with fire, molten bronze and centuries-old craftsmanship, the story of the Singelberg Carillon begins on 18 August. The casting of its first bell marks the tangible start of a project through which Katoen Natie and The Phoebus Foundation aim to add a new chapter to a tradition that has been part of the cultural fabric of the Low Countries for more than five centuries. Every historic carillon began with a single bell, and now it is Singelberg’s turn. The fact that the first symbolic strike is given by the grandchildren captures the ambition behind the project perfectly: this is not an instrument being built for one generation, but for generations to come, including many who have yet to be born.
“Every historic carillon we admire today was once a new carillon. Someone had to have the courage to look beyond their own generation. With the Singelberg Carillon, we are doing the same. We are not building a monument for today, but creating a heritage that will bring people together for centuries to come. The fact that our grandchildren are giving the first strike today makes that idea particularly tangible. They represent the very generations for whom we are building this instrument.” – Fernand Huts, Chairman of Katoen Natie and The Phoebus Foundation SON
Why build a monumental carillon today? That question lies at the heart of the entire project. With 81 bells, a range of six and a half octaves, around 60 tonnes of bronze and a largest bell weighing approximately 11.5 tonnes, the Singelberg Carillon is set to become the most complete concert carillon in the world. More importantly, however, the instrument is intended to take the art of the carillon forward: as a concert instrument, a platform for new compositions, a laboratory for research and a meeting place for carillonneurs, composers and students from Belgium and abroad.
The Singelberg Carillon will not be a reconstruction of the past. Instead, centuries-old craftsmanship will be brought together with contemporary research and international artistic ambition. New music will be written especially for the instrument, while international gatherings and masterclasses will bring together musicians and experts from around the world. Its creation will also be documented in a richly illustrated publication. In this way, Singelberg aims not only to create an exceptional carillon, but to write a new chapter in the history of the instrument.
“Heritage only stays alive when each generation is willing to give it new meaning. The Singelberg Carillon brings together centuries of craftsmanship with contemporary research, international collaboration and artistic ambition. It shows that a living tradition is not simply preserved, but continues to evolve.”
“That ambition has its roots in the Low Countries, where the carillon developed from the late Middle Ages onwards into a unique form of public musical instrument. The earliest known written reference to a baton keyboard dates from 1510 in Oudenaarde. Flanders and Brabant were among the earliest centres of this tradition, before carillon culture developed further across both the Southern and Northern Netherlands during the 16th and 17th centuries. Antwerp played an important role from an early stage, while around 1900 Jef Denyn, working from Mechelen, sparked the instrument’s modern revival. The founding of the Carillon School in 1922 then gave the tradition an international reach. Today, carillons can be heard in more than thirty countries.” – Katharina Van Cauteren, Chief Executive Officer, The Phoebus Foundation SON
The Singelberg Carillon will also be entirely bespoke in its technical design. Its 81 bells will be installed in a fully open arrangement in a new carillon tower on the historic Singelberg site. At the heart of the tower will be a playing chamber with an exceptional six-and-a-half-octave keyboard. The bells, frame, suspension system, mechanics, acoustics and architecture are all being designed as one integrated whole. The tower will also be open to visitors, allowing them not only to hear the carillon, but to experience up close how the carillonneur, keyboard, mechanics and bells all work together.
For the bells, the project is working with Royal Eijsbouts in Asten, where centuries-old craftsmanship meets modern research. Different bell profiles and materials are being studied to give the lower bells a warm, powerful sound and the higher bells a bright, sparkling tone. One of the historical sources of inspiration is the famous bass bell cast in 1459 for the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp. The casting of the first bell on 18 August marks the moment when years of ideas and research are, quite literally, cast in bronze.
The patrons of the Singelberg Carillon
Just as importantly, the Singelberg Carillon is shaped not only by bronze, but by the people behind it. That is why, on 18 August, the carillon’s patrons will take centre stage. Individuals, families, companies, associations and groups of friends can become patrons of a bell and, in doing so, become part of the Singelberg Carillon family. Each bell has its own tone, weight and place; together, all 81 voices form a single whole.
A patron’s name can be inscribed on their bell, while a commemorative plaque in the tower will bring together the names of all the patrons, who will also be included in the official register. Each patron will receive a certificate of authenticity and be involved in both the creation and the future life of the carillon, with visits to Eijsbouts, guided tours of Singelberg, and opportunities to take part in the opening and concerts. In this way, a community will grow around the 81 bells, helping to carry the instrument into the future. Singelberg itself is an important part of that story.
For centuries, it was the administrative heart of the Land of Beveren and today it is home to Katoen Natie and Indaver. The site continues to develop as a cultural campus where art, landscape, heritage, conservation, research, music and enterprise come together. The carillon tower will not stand as an isolated monument, but will become the musical heart of the site and, from 2028, a destination for visitors and the international carillon community alike.
“The Singelberg Carillon adds a new chapter to the history of the carillon. You don’t build an instrument like this for yourself, but for generations to come. For people you will never meet, but who, you hope, will one day be moved by it. That is what makes the grandchildren giving the first strike so meaningful: they quite literally make it possible to hear that this project is about the future.” – Steven Defoor, Managing Director, The Phoebus Foundation SON
When the grandchildren give the first strike on 18 August, the carillon will still be far from complete. There will not yet be a tower filled with bells, and much of the music that will one day be heard there has yet to be written. That is precisely what makes the moment so powerful: one generation takes the initiative, the next gives the first strike, and the generations that follow will make this musical heritage their own and give the instrument its music.
“The Singelberg Carillon is cast for today, but built for centuries to come. The carillon is one of the great cultural and heritage symbols of the Southern Netherlands.” – Fernand Huts, Chairman of Katoen Natie and The Phoebus Foundation SON
The Rose Garden / Arne Quinze
Park and sculptures draw on the Renaissance ideal in which art, architecture and landscape merged into a harmonious whole. At Singelberg Sculpture Park, the sculpture garden forms a quiet enclave within the industrial backdrop of Antwerp’s harbour. From the garden, the silhouettes of the cathedral, the Boerentoren and Antwerp’s churches emerge as distant outlines along the banks of the Scheldt.
Within the sculpture park unfolds a dreamlike landscape of monumental forms. With The Rose Garden, Arne Quinze creates a universe in which nature and imagination flow into one another. Sculptures rise like roses that have outgrown their natural proportions, while shimmering Murano glass dew drops refract the light into fleeting shades of colour.
I drew inspiration from the rich tradition of European still-life painting, where the rose has long symbolized beauty, fragility, and transience. With this work, I wanted to move beyond the canvas and transform that symbolism into an immersive environment that visitors can physically enter.
Arne Quinze
The Rose Garden invites visitors to immerse themselves in an overwhelming floral landscape where colour, light and scale blur the boundaries between nature and imagination. At the same time, the work reflects the resilience of nature, where contrast, variation and harmony continuously coexist.
Discover The Rose Garden at Singelberg Sculpture Park (Burcht Singelberg).
Guided visits are available by appointment for both individual visitors and groups.
Boerentoren and Keizerskapel will close their doors from 1 July onwards
50.000 INDIVIDUAL VISITORS
On Friday, 1 May 2026, it will be exactly one year since The Phoebus Foundation and Katoen Natie first opened the doors of the Boerentoren to the people of Antwerp, to visitors from across Belgium, and to an international audience. Many climbed the art deco tower along its century-old steel structures all the way to the top. Since then, the enchanting view over the Scheldt region has moved more than 50,000 hearts.
An equal number visited the exhibition Het komt allemaal goed in the intimate yet majestic Keizerskapel, a hidden gem at the heart of Antwerp’s artistic heritage. In collaboration with Rick de Leeuw, Old Masters and fin-de-siècle painters enter into dialogue with his music and contemporary interpretation. A refreshing concept that has pleasantly surprised many visitors.
In the second semester of 2026, The Phoebus Foundation, in collaboration with Stad Antwerpen, launched a schools programme. By the end of this academic year, no fewer than one hundred secondary school classes will have discovered and visited Keizerskapel and the Boerentoren.
Since 2024, teachers and pupils have been able to make use of Wat is kunst?, an advanced interactive platform for arts education offering free lesson packs fully aligned with Flemish attainment targets. By bringing Flemish art and heritage closer than ever to the youngest generation, The Phoebus Foundation is taking its educational mission to a promising new level.
With the end of the school year, which roughly coincides with the start of the summer construction break, the right moment has come to bring this remarkable success story to a close and prepare a new phase for our public. The coming two months will be the final days in which the stripped-back Boerentoren can still be seen in its most raw and pure form.
On Sunday 26 April, Den Argentin opens its doors for a rather special glimpse into the past of the Port of Antwerp. Discover the remarkable Maritime and Logistics Heritage collection of The Phoebus Foundation, featuring over 1,200 objects that bring the port’s history vividly to life. Along the way, a dedicated team of volunteers will guide you through personal memories and anecdotes from the docks as they were a century ago.
Practical information
Where: De Pretstraat 1 (2000 Antwerp) When: April 26, 2026, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM Free access, no registration required Contact: info@phoebusfoundation.org
Maritime and Logistics Heritage
The Maritime and Logistics Heritage collection documents the history of the port of Antwerp and its workers. It comprises an extensive collection of objects— from handcarts and tractors to the monumental Antigone crane — all carefully maintained by a dedicated team of volunteers. The collection also includes around 250,000 historical photographs that capture daily life in and around the port.
Press Conference: Free Guided Tours of the Boerentoren and Keizerskapel for Antwerp Secondary Schools
During the press conference of 12 February 2026, the city of Antwerp and The Phoebus Foundation announced that all Antwerp secondary schools will be able to visit the construction site of the Boerentoren free of charge. Europe’s first skyscraper thus takes on a clear educational purpose.
In the presence of Alderman for Education Nabilla Ait Daoud, Fernand Huts, Chairman of The Phoebus Foundation, and Executive Director and Chief of Staff Dr Katharina Van Cauteren, presented and elaborated on the initiative.
“Young people deserve the opportunity to truly experience art and heritage,” says Dr Katharina Van Cauteren. “This is not a one-off experience, but the beginning of something that continues to resonate. We are opening the doors to wonder and allowing curiosity to flow in freely, so that art becomes a natural and inspiring part of their lives.”
The visit begins at the Keizerskapel with the exhibition Het komt allemaal goed. Pupils then explore the Boerentoren itself, gaining insight into restoration, architecture and contemporary engineering.
The educational programme was developed in close collaboration with Antwerp teachers. Tailored lesson materials have been created for each year group, aligned with the attainment targets.
Students from Kunstkaai were also present at the press conference. They shared their impressions of the visit and spoke about how the Boerentoren had become more than a familiar silhouette at the end of the Meir: for them, it is now a place where city, heritage and future converge in tangible ways.
Practical Information and Registration
Teachers can register their class via Wat is Kunst? (WIK), the educational platform of The Phoebus Foundation for children and young people.
Through www.watiskunst.be, they will find not only the registration details for the construction site visits to the Boerentoren, but also the accompanying teaching materials, tailored to the different year groups and learning objectives.
WIK brings together educational programmes centred on art and heritage, supporting teachers with clear content, practical tools and ready-to-use lesson materials, both to prepare for and to deepen the visit.
The city of Antwerp and The Phoebus Foundation are organising school visits to the Boerentoren
Antwerp is rich in heritage landmarks that tell the story of the city and add real value to education. The Boerentoren is one such iconic site. With the building currently undergoing a major transformation, this offers pupils a rare and time-limited chance to take a look behind the scenes.
For this reason, the city of Antwerp and The Phoebus Foundation will be organising free site visits to the Boerentoren for secondary schools in Antwerp. The visits are combined with the exhibition Het komt allemaal goed in the Keizerskapel.
Through this joint initiative, the city of Antwerp and The Phoebus Foundation aim to introduce pupils to one of the city’s most distinctive buildings. The educational programme aligns with curriculum guidelines, and minimum learning objectives. This collaboration helps embed cultural heritage more firmly within education. Tailored teaching materials have been developed for each year group, in collaboration with teachers.
The city of Antwerp will coordinate the delivery of the educational programme, while The Phoebus Foundation oversees the programme and its funding.
Practical information and registration
Teachers can register their class via Wat is Kunst? (WIK), The Phoebus Foundation’s educational platform for children and young people. Through www.watiskunst.be, they can access registration for the Boerentoren site visits as well as the accompanying teaching materials, tailored to different year groups and learning objectives.
WIK brings together educational pathways around art and heritage, supporting teachers with clear content, practical tools and ready-to-use teaching materials, both for preparation and for follow-up after the visit.
Wonders of the World – From Maps to Masterpieces
Last week, The Phoebus Foundation signed an agreement for the organisation of the exhibition Wonders of the World – From Maps to Masterpieces, in partnership with The National Museum of Oman.
The initiative seeks to strengthen cultural and artistic collaboration between the two institutions, with a shared focus on art, culture, and common heritage. The agreement was signed on behalf of The National Museum His Excellency Jamal bin Hassan al-Moosawi, Secretary-General of the National Museum of Oman, and on behalf of The Phoebus Foundation by Dr Katharina Van Cauteren, Executive Director of The Phoebus Foundation SON, in the presence of Fernand Huts, Chairman of the Board of The Phoebus Foundation.
The exhibition will run from 2 December 2026 to 2 March 2027. It highlights the contributions of Flemish artists and scholars from the early modern period, spanning the 16th to the 18th centuries, and shows how they sought to understand the world around them with precision and passion. They did so through cartography, the study of nature, and finely detailed visual representations, where scientific inquiry meets aesthetic refinement.
These works emerged from a culture shaped by thriving trade, a spirit of discovery, and exceptional craftsmanship, one that regarded the world as vast, intricate, and worthy of close observation. The exhibition places this Flemish perspective in balanced dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman, building on shared elements such as maritime horizons, navigational routes, and a mutual interest in materials and visual culture.
Wonders of the World – From Maps to Masterpieces forms part of the joint efforts of The National Museum and The Phoebus Foundation to foster cultural dialogue and to highlight points of connection between civilisations through art and culture.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Wonders of the World – From Maps to Masterpieces
The National Museum of Oman
2 December 2026 – 2 March 2027
ABOUT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF OMAN
The National Museum is Oman’s leading cultural institution and presents the cultural heritage of the Sultanate, from the earliest traces of human settlement on the Oman Peninsula to the present day.
As a national institution with global outreach, the Museum is ensuring that Oman’s cultural heritage is recognised and appreciated not only within the Sultanate, but also internationally. Through an interchange of knowledge and skills on issues of cultural heritage, it is helping to build a national and international network based on unity and mutual support. More information: www.nm.gov.om
Visit to the Arp Museum during Landscapes of the Soul
Anyone interested in Belgian fin-de-siècle art probably does not think of Germany first. Yet just across the border, there is something well worth seeing. Seelenlandschaften (Landscapes of the Soul) at the Arp Museum offers a fresh look at Belgian art around the turn of the century. Several key works from the collection of The Phoebus Foundation are on loan for the exhibition.
The Arp Museum is located in Rolandseck, on the banks of the Rhine. The historic Bahnhof Rolandseck, built in 1856, forms an integral part of the museum. Arriving by train, visitors quite literally step straight into the building.
Architect Richard Meier linked the former station to a contemporary museum complex set higher up against the hillside. A tunnel and a glass lift guide visitors gradually upwards, moving from the river landscape to the exhibition galleries. From the museum, the view opens out over the Rhine and the Siebengebirge on the opposite bank.
Seelenlandschaften (Landscapes of the Soul) turns its focus to inner worlds. Twenty-eight works from the collection of The Phoebus Foundation are shown in dialogue with twenty-seven paintings by French masters from the Rau Collection for UNICEF. Together, they explore the human soul in all its tension, mystery, and light.
Works by artists such as James Ensor, Léon Spilliaert and George Minne give shape to inner worlds. Among the Leie painters from Sint-Martens-Latem, dreamlike and at times mystical scenes prevail, reducing life to a quiet, essential visual language.
In other rooms, a sense of unease, irony, and even absurdity comes to the fore, moods closely tied to the spirit of the fin de siècle. These shifting emotional registers take shape in each space through a carefully orchestrated play of light and colour.
The work of Hans Arp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp also fits seamlessly within this thematic framework. Both felt a strong affinity with the Belgian avant-garde around the turn of the century. The abstract forms on view in the museum are immediately recognisable and seem to arise from an inner movement, organic and unforced, like trees growing in a forest.
Although they never lived in Remagen, the choice of location is anything but accidental. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Bahnhof Rolandseck was far more than a stop along the line. It served as a lively meeting place for artists, musicians, and intellectuals.
After Hans Arp passed away, his second wife sought to bring his work together in a setting that resonated with his spirit and ideas. The derelict station building was thus given a new lease of life as a centre for modern art. Arp remains at its core, yet always framed within a broader European context, one in which the collection of The Phoebus Foundation also finds its natural place.
Landscapes of the Soul is on view at the Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck until 8 March 2026. More information can be found here.
A surprising discovery in Van Verendael’s flower piece
During the 2025 Colloquium of the Belgian Association of Art Conservators, Sven Van Dorst presented a remarkable discovery from the restoration and technical study of Vase of Flowers in a Niche by Nicolaes Van Verendael. His research revealed that the artist incorporated real butterfly wings into his painting process, an extraordinary feat of craftsmanship that resonates beautifully with the seventeenth-century fascination for natural study and meticulous detail.
Nicolaes Van Verendael, Vase of flowers in a Niche, c.1680
Sven Van Dorst during his presentation on Van Verendael’s work
Anyone keen to explore the world of flower still lifes, their materials and hidden techniques, will find plenty of unexpected insights in Forever Flowers – Mastery and Meaning of Flower Paintings in the Low Countries (1600-1700).
Lecture and Tour: Explore 3500 Years of Textile Art
Every two years, an international gathering of researchers, curators, conservators and textile specialists meets at the Katoen Natie HeadquARTers for the conference Textiles from the Nile Valley. Led by Dr Cäcilia Fluck, Dr Petra Linscheid and Prof Dr Antoine De Moor, in collaboration with The Phoebus Foundation, the event provides a forum for sharing and discussing new research. The conference focuses on archaeological textiles from Egypt and the surrounding regions, with particular attention to remarkable finds from the first millennium AD.
Visitors are invited to attend a lecture and explore the exhibition 3500 Years of Textile Art, featuring ancient tunics, accessories, carpets and other remarkable objects.
On Sunday, 16 November 2025 at 3.00 pm, you are welcome at the Katoen Natie HeadquARTers in Antwerp for a lecture in English, followed by a guided tour of approximately 90 minutes. Registration is required via info@phoebusfoundation.org
Boerentoren Construction Site Tours Extended
The open construction site tours of the Boerentoren (Farmers’ Tower) are being extended once again. This is a unique opportunity to witness this icon in full transformation.
From 19 September 2025, visits will be possible every Wednesday afternoon, Friday, weekend and public holiday, with additional slots during school vacations. The tour begins in the Keizerskapel with a 30–45 minute audio tour of the exhibition Het komt allemaal goed, followed by a walk to the tower itself. After check-in and a short safety briefing, a guide will take you on a two-hour journey of discovery through this Antwerp landmark in the midst of transformation.
Those eager to learn more can explore the full story in the book The Farmers’ Tower – Story of an Icon. Story of an Icon, available in four languages.
Heritage Day Flanders 2025
During Heritage Day Flanders we took a look behind the scenes at Den Argentin, where we were delighted to welcome more than 200 visitors. Surrounded by monumental cranes, sturdy tractors and old shunting wagons, they experienced the atmosphere of the harbour as it once was. Thanks to our enthusiastic volunteers and their personal anecdotes, visitors gained a unique insight into the maritime and logistical heritage of the port. Take a look back at this special day!
Research on T. rex skeleton at the Sauriermuseum
At the Sauriermuseum in Aathal, Switzerland, where our 67-million-year-old T. rex, Trinity, is on display, a team of paleontologists led by Dr. Nizar Ibrahim from the University of Portsmouth is conducting a thorough investigation of the skeleton.
The researchers have carefully examined the skeleton’s tail, as well as the ribcage, forelimbs, and skull. In this way, the team is collecting data on the size and appearance of the bones, while paying special attention to paleopathologies that provide evidence of traumatic injuries and diseases.
This meticulous research will provide valuable insights for the field of paleontology and offer new perspectives on one of the world’s most fearsome dinosaurs, so keep an eye on our website and newsletter for further developments!
Curious about the personal testimonies of the researchers? Check out the university’s website:
Do you know why the Antwerp port was a second home to many people in the past? Discover it on April 21st as we once again take part in Heritage Day. During this special occasion, we open the doors of our warehouse ‘De Argentin’, where you can explore our fascinating sub-collection of port heritage. Through more than 1200 objects, we offer an exclusive glimpse into the rich history of the Antwerp port, accompanied by captivating stories and anecdotes told by our team of dedicated volunteers.
Stop by between 10:00 and 15:00 and uncover the hidden treasures of ‘De Argentin’ on Heritage Day!
Location – De Argentin, De Pretstraat 1, 2060 Antwerp
September has ushered in a fresh new season at WIK, and it’s brimming with exciting updates for all art enthusiasts! Join Leonard and his trusty virtual companion, JOS, on an enthralling vlog journey as they unravel why experiencing art in the real world is an absolute must.
But that’s not all! This month, we are also introducing two new audio guides. And for our dedicated educators, we have created a brand-new page meticulously curated to enhance your experience as a teacher.
Want to be the first to know about the very latest developments on WIK? Then subscribe to the WIK newsletter and discover the latest games, artworks, vlogs and DIY videos!
Calling all story tellers! If you share a unique bond with the Boerentoren or have a fascinating historical anecdote to tell, we want to hear from you. Watch the video below for details and reach out to us at verhalen@boerentoren.com
Become a Volunteer!
Would you like to tinker with vehicles? Give tractors and cranes a lick of paint? Do you like to document heritage or build models? Do you have a passion for the port and would like to share it with others?
For our maritime and logistics heritage sub-collection of more than 1,200 objects, we are looking for motivated team players to join our team of volunteers!
Interested? Contact us at info@phoebusfoundation.org
Heritage Day Flanders
During the month of September, we will open the doors of our warehouse ‘De Argentin’ for Heritage Day Flanders! This special day is one of the biggest cultural events in Flanders with hundreds of unique monuments throughout the region opening their doors to the public free of charge.
Dive into the history of the port of Antwerp through unique stories and anecdotes on more than 1,200 objects from our collection of Port Heritage. Our team of dedicated volunteers will also be on site and will happily guide you through the exhibit.
When? 10 September 2023 10:00 – 15:30
Where? De Argentin (De Pretstraat 1, 2060 Antwerp)
Pregnancy portraits by Jacob Jordaens and Anthony van Dyck
Little was known about portraits of pregnant women. Moreover, it was assumed that Southern Netherlandish portraits of mothers-to-be did not exist at all. Until now! Thanks to archival and cultural-historical research, dr Leen Kelchtermans and dr Katharina Van Cauteren were able to identify no less than five portraits of pregnant women, painted by the greatest Baroque masters: Jacob Jordaens’ portrait of Catharina Behaghel (now in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam) and Anthony Van Dyck’s portraits of Anna Wake (Mauritshuis, The Hague), Marie Nutius (The Phoebus Foundation), Sebilla Van den Berghe (Alte Pinakothek, Munich) and Marie De Raet (Wallace Collection, London). All five are part of a pair of pendants in which their images are combined with those of their spouses. Completely against tradition, the pregnant women are not depicted to the left of their husbands and thus in the inferior position, but to their right. As expectant mothers of the heir, they even seem to be given the place of honor!
Anthony Van Dyck, Portraits of Marie Nutius and Jacob De Witte, c.1628-29.
Read the full article ‘Pregnancy Portraits by Jacob Jordaens and Anthony Van Dyck’, in Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art.
Find out all about the work of Brussels-based artist Gillis Van Tilborgh in the article A Third Self-Portrait by Gillis Van Tilborgh. This iconographic and comparative analysis by Phoebus researcher Dr Leen Kelchtermans and Chief of Staff Dr Katharina Van Cauteren reveals the existence of a third self-portrait by Van Tilborgh, along with new insights into his career and marriage.
Gillis Van Tilborgh, Twelve gentlemen in an interior, including a self-portrait of the artist as a connoisseur, c.1664-1667
You have probably heard or read about it by now. However, we are still extremely excited about the latest addition to the Phoebus collection: the 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, also known as Trinity. Measuring 11.6 metres in length, 3.9 metres in height and with a 1.4 metres skull, this spectacular T. rex is now one of our collection’s largest objects.
Within a few years, this unique specimen will be given a special place in our cultural project, namely the Boerentoren. There, the general public, including art lovers, historians, scientists and other enthusiasts, will be able to enjoy the history and beauty of art, science and architecture. Including the exclusive T. rex!
Heritage Day: Animals at the Port, from Horses to Elephants
Parents and children can enjoy a unique visit to The Phoebus Foundation sub-collection of Maritime and Logistic Heritage this year. ‘Sparrow beaks’, ‘pig ears’, ‘crabs’, the transport of wild animals, the ‘nation’s horses’ and pests in the port are all illustrated and explained in great detail during a tour of more than 1200 pieces from the collection.
Discover how humans and animals have worked together in the port for centuries through animal stories, talks on the human-animal relationship and delve deeper into the traditions surrounding animals during Heritage Day on the 23rd of April.
Discover how people and animals have been working side by side in the port for centuries, through animal stories and conversations about the human–animal bond, and take a closer look at the traditions surrounding animals during Erfgoeddag on 23 April.
Location – De Argentin, Pretstraat 1, 2060 Antwerp
In February, our graphic designer Paul Boudens received the prestigious Henry van de Velde Lifetime Achievement Award.
Paul has become a constant presence in the Belgian fashion and design world over the past three decades. His distinctive approach has earned him major national and international recognition. To mark this milestone, we sat down with him behind the scenes to talk about his life, his work, the past and the future, as well as his experience with The Phoebus Foundation.
How did you become a graphic designer? Did you always have a passion for design?
I didn’t really know anything about design back then. As a teenager I thought I’d become a fashion designer, because I could make a fabulous evening dress for my Barbies out of a single handkerchief (laughs). I could draw, though I wasn’t and still am not the best draughtsman. That’s why I failed the entrance exam for the Antwerp fashion academy.
So I ended up studying applied communication, which really wasn’t my thing. I also tried English–Italian interpreting and translation, but that went nowhere either. Halfway through my second year I gave up on that too. Meanwhile, back in my student digs, I kept tinkering away, making cassette covers and designing birthday cards with Tipp-Ex and photocopies. That’s how I got ‘discovered’. The rest is history.
How did your collaboration with The Phoebus Foundation begin?
I met Katharina (Van Cauteren, chief of staff of The Phoebus Foundation, ed.) during another project, back when The Phoebus Foundation didn’t even exist yet. We worked together on Walter Van Beirendonck’s book for the exhibition Happy Birthday Dear Academie: 350 Years of the Academy at the MAS. Since I’ve been Walter’s right hand, or left hand (laughs), for my entire career and have done countless projects with him, he always knows where to find me for a good project or publication. That’s how I met Katharina.
We clicked straight away, and her vision really matched mine. She wanted a book with a bit of an edge. A woman after my own heart. A few years later, when Katharina took on her role at The Phoebus Foundation, she contacted me to work together again. That working relationship really matters to me. There has to be a spark between both sides.
What do you look for in a client or a project?
I think it’s crucial that a client’s vision lines up with mine and that we get on well. If it doesn’t, I just seize up and nothing comes out. That’s why I sometimes have to turn down jobs. I once even said no to a project for garden furniture, simply because it really wasn’t my thing. It may have paid very well, but money has never been what drives me. I need to get energy from what I do. You wouldn’t believe how much I did for free early in my career to help young designers. Back then, none of us had a penny to spare.
You worked closely with Antwerp fashion designers in the 1990s. One iconic example is the invitation for Jurgen Persoons, I Know What You’ll Wear Next Summer (summer 1999).
Oh yeah! That’s my line! That one is still being copied.
Invitation for Belgian fashion designer Jurgi Persoons (Summer 1999)
You’re often associated with the fashion world, but you’ve also worked for very different kinds of clients, including theatre.
I more or less just rolled from one thing into the next. These days people are very career-minded, and fair enough. I never really was. At the start I took on all kinds of jobs, and more and more kept coming in. At one point I was working for four designers at the same time: Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Jurgen Persoons and Olivier Theyskens. Great fun, but you can’t do the same thing for everyone.
So I went a bit schizophrenic and invented a different style for each of them, always based on their own input. I’m really more of a conduit. The same goes for theatre or completely different clients. I always step into their story.
Do you have a step-by-step plan for when you start a new assignment?
No, I always start with a blank page. If I’m working on the design of a new exhibition, all I need is images and text, and then I start playing. That’s my sandbox. I love starting something from scratch.
You often mention in interviews that you aim for a timeless kind of design.
I do, yes. It’s not always possible, of course, but I’m always looking for the right balance. First of all, I choose a typeface very carefully, and that’s already half the battle. I still believe in the whole less-is-more idea and I stick to a few rules of my own. For instance, I never use more than three typefaces in a single design.
Having grown up in the analogue era, I do think differently from younger designers. Today graphic designers switch on their computer and can instantly choose from hundreds of typefaces, which actually makes it harder to decide. I don’t use many graphic elements made by other people. A lot of what we’re offered digitally today already feels like yesterday rather than tomorrow. I’m always aiming for something that will still look good five years from now. Of course you have to move with the times, and I try to do that as well.
Red keeps cropping up in your work. Is it a favourite colour, and what does red mean to you?
For me, red stands for passion. It’s a colour that contrasts beautifully with black, so you can really see what you’re working with when you start something. I picked that up during my studies, from Paul van Ostaijen, Coca-Cola red, Andy Warhol and the rest. I simply have a big soft spot for red. Get used to it. (laughs)
How do you balance your own style with your clients’ wishes, and how does that translate into your designs for The Phoebus Foundation?
My style is really part of my DNA. I actually have four different style modes, including a very wild one, but also a very classic one. It just has to feel right.
With The Phoebus Foundation there’s room for a subtle edge, and I love that. I genuinely enjoy working for them, because playing with words and images lets me really express myself. Sometimes I might push things a bit too far, but then I get pulled back. It’s always a matter of feeling it out. That design phase, that search for the right style, is what I love most.
Many of The Phoebus Foundation’s projects revolve around Old Masters, which is of course very different from bold fashion work in bright colours. Does that make it more challenging to work with these artworks, where the tone can sometimes feel darker?
I think it’s a great move to pair that kind of work with a bold pop of colour, like I did for the books and printed material for Blind Date (2020) and Crazy about Dymphna (2022). I gave them a good dose of neon yellow and pink. That does call for a bit of restraint, though. You need enough white between the bright colours and the artworks, otherwise it can clash.
One upside of working with artists who’ve been dead for a long time is that they can’t complain. Contemporary artists are a lot more challenging in that sense, and not always easy. There’s usually a bit of distrust at first. I always tell them, “I’m here to help you, not to mess up your work. It’s not about me, it’s about you and your work looking as good as it possibly can… just in my way”.
Do you have a favourite artwork from The Phoebus Foundation’s collection?
Absolutely: Concetto Spaziale by Lucio Fontana. I’d happily hang that in my office. I also love Bird by Karel Appel. And when it comes to the Old Masters, I go for Portrait of a Young Lady. It has that Portrait of a Young Lady kind of vibe, I think.
Lucio Fontana, Concetto Spaziale, Attese, 1965
What’s the aftermath of your Lifetime Achievement Award?
A major identity crisis (laughs). No, I’m already planning a new exhibition. Winning the award definitely gave me a taste for more. I’m not going to slow down, I always want more of a challenge. I actually enjoy a bit of suffering. I’m having a great time. I’ve always found that the more I work, the more comes out of it. So, bring it on.
After 2001 I briefly thought about starting a studio, but first of all, I simply love designing too much. And with a studio I’d have to delegate and look for work for interns and staff. No way.
What’s your formula for success?
I’ve been around a long time, since the late eighties, but I still try to get the very best out of every project, for myself as much as for anyone else. Getting older is no excuse to slack off. In a way I make everything for myself, and I think that’s the secret. If I don’t think it’s good, neither will my clients. So I’m the one guarding the quality of my work.
Paul Boudens Works Volume I
Will there be a Paul Boudens Volume II?
Probably in 2025, when I turn sixty. I’m planning two exhibitions at the same time, one at the Fashion Museum and one at another venue.
Do you have any other plans for the future?
Go back to Japan. Visit New Zealand. Keep working on my second monograph. But above all, not get bored and keep making great things. I have no regrets, and I’m really happy I found my thing in this life.
‘Wat is Kunst?’ launch
Our brand-new art project for kids is finally here: ‘Wat is Kunst?’ (What is Art?) or WIK!
WIK is an interactive art platform for kids from the ages of 8 to 12. In several comical vlogs focusing on art questions, presenter Leonard and his virtual assistant JOS take you on an art adventure.
Furthermore, the platform offers an interactive art gallery, creative games, and DIY videos to stimulate children artistically.
On the platform, teachers can find inspiration and download ready-made lesson suggestions for second and third-grade elementary schools. These meaningful lesson suggestions allow students to purposefully reflect on and experiment with art. Ideal for discovering art in all its facets with your students in a playful and interactive way!
Discover the latest episode of the KLARA radio programme Berg en Dal with Pat Donnez and none other than Dr Katharina Van Cauteren, Chief of Staff of The Phoebus Foundation! (in Dutch)
Discover our upcoming art project for children: Wat is Kunst? (Dutch for “What is art?”), also known as WIK.
We are developing an interactive art platform for children aged 8 to 12. Through a series of comic vlogs built around playful art questions, presenter Leonard, known from Ketnet, and his virtual assistant JOS, voiced by Clara Cleymans, invite young audiences on an artistic adventure. The platform also features an interactive art gallery, creative games and DIY videos, all designed to spark curiosity and imagination.
WIK will also make its way into the classroom. Teachers can draw inspiration from the platform and download ready-made lesson suggestions for the second and third grades of primary education. These carefully designed activities encourage pupils to reflect on art and to experiment with it themselves, offering a playful and interactive way to explore its many facets together.
Want to know more? Watch the trailer below or check www.watiskunst.be, available from the 9th of January!
New findings from the Hamilton Kerr Institute Bulletin
This month, we dive into Camille Polkownik’s new article ‘An examination of a group of works related to Albrecht Dürer’s trip to the Netherlands’, in: Hamilton Kerr Institute, Bulletin, 9 (2022): 87-102. Among other things, the article examines a portrait from our collection that has recently been restored, revealing a fascinating story with unexpected results.This month, we dive into Camille Polkownik’s new article ‘An examination of a group of works related to Albrecht Dürer’s trip to the Netherlands’, in: Hamilton Kerr Institute, Bulletin, 9 (2022): 87-102. Among other things, the article examines a portrait from our collection that has recently been restored, revealing a fascinating story with unexpected results.This month, we dive into Camille Polkownik’s new article ‘An examination of a group of works related to Albrecht Dürer’s trip to the Netherlands’, in: Hamilton Kerr Institute, Bulletin, 9 (2022): 87-102. Among other things, the article examines a portrait from our collection that has recently been restored, revealing a fascinating story with unexpected results.This month, we dive into Camille Polkownik’s new article ‘An examination of a group of works related to Albrecht Dürer’s trip to the Netherlands’, in: Hamilton Kerr Institute, Bulletin, 9 (2022): 87-102. Among other things, the article examines a portrait from our collection that has recently been restored, revealing a fascinating story with unexpected results.
Before and after restauration of Portrait of a Man by an unknown South Netherlandish Master, 16th century
“The following paper is an investigation into the relationship between a drawing by German artist Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) and a group of paintings, initially thought to depict the Portuguese humanist philosopher Damião de Góis (1502–74). First, the paintings were examined to establish whether they were consistent with sixteenth-century materials and compared stylistically with the drawing. Second, an argument against the current identification of the sitter was made, then an alternative identification was proposed. The technical analysis showed the paintings’ materials and appearance were consistent with the sixteenth century and that they were probably made in the second quarter, shortly after the original drawing by Dürer, but most likely by an Antwerp-based studio/workshop unrelated to Dürer. Furthermore, the research suggests the sitter cannot be de Góis and that the man depicted could be a Portuguese merchant and diplomat based in Antwerp with whom Dürer developed a friendship during his stay in the Netherlands in 1520–21.”
Phoebus Reads
This month we are captivated by the new study of Dr Leen Kelchtermans and Dr Katharina Van Cauteren published in the international peer-reviewed journal devoted to Dutch and Flemish art, Simiolus.
From drawings to comprehensive work of art: a reconstruction of Jacob Jordaens’s Psyche Gallery in his Antwerp house summarises five years of research where Leen and Katharina investigated Jacob Jordaens’ ceiling paintings about Amor and Psyche. The research focused on what the reception room in the Antwerp home of the Baroque master must have looked like, which made it possible to reconstruct Jordaens’ “pronkkamer” for the first time in almost 400 years. Consequently, they discovered that the artist dazzled his guests with impressive ceiling pieces and illusionistic paintings on the walls and even on the doors! Both the ceiling and the door pieces are now in the collection of The Phoebus Foundation.
Jacob Jordaens, Love of Amor and Psyche, c.1652
Trompe-l’oeil Door Panel: a Young Man with a Dog and a Young Woman, c.1640-1645
Trompe-l’oeil Door Panel: a Young Woman, an Old Man, a Fool and a Hissing Cat, c.1640-1645
Read everything about this fascinating study in: Leen Kelchtermans & Katharina Van Cauteren, ‘From drawings to comprehensive work of art: a reconstruction of Jacob Jordaens’s Psyche Gallery in his Antwerp house’, Simiolus, 44/1 (2022), pp. 28-59.
Crazier about Dymphna
Our Crazy about Dymphna exhibition has been extended until the 2nd of October!
For those who have not found the opportunity yet to get to know the remarkable Saint Dymphna and the impressive altarpiece by Goossen Van der Weyden, you have three more weeks to get to Geel! Thanks to an interactive scenography with humorous and moving videos, you can discover the tragic life story of Dymphna and the secrets behind the paint layers of the eight panels with depictions of her life. On top of that, there is an adventurous game for children aged 6 to 12! Based on fascinating questions, children become real investigators, looking for the code of the treasure of Abbot Tsgrooten, the patron of the Dymphna altarpiece.
Book your ticket and go to the Saint Dymphna Church in Geel! The exhibition is open every Tuesday until Sunday, from 11AM until 6PM. The children’s game is available at the reception desk of the Saint Dymphna Church.
Still looking for the ideal holiday activity for the whole family? In need of the perfect combination of cool air, culture and relaxation?
Look no further! Our Crazy About Dymphna exhibition is accessible to all ages, thanks to an interactive scenography with humorous and moving videos. There is now also an adventurous trail for children aged 6 to 12. Guided by intriguing questions, young detectives set out to crack the code to Abbot Tsgrooten’s treasure, the patron of the Dimpna altarpiece.
Visiting an exhibition has never been this exciting! Crack the code and win a fantastic prize. And all of this for just one euro per person.
Book your ticket now! The activity sheet for the trail is available at the desk of St Dymphna’s Church.
Fall will be exciting… Because The Phoebus Foundation is going to the USA!
Hendrick De Clerck and Denijs Van Alsloot, Earth Paradise with the Four Elements, 1613
We are very proud to announce that 120 works of art from our Old Masters sub-collection will be crossing the ocean to Denver and Dallas at the end of this year. From 16 October on, you can admire masterpieces by Hans Memling, Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens and many magnificent gems at the Denver Art Museum, where they will be part of the exciting exhibition Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks.
Denver Art Museum
Denver Art Museum is located in the heart of the United States, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains and has already presented extremely successful exhibitions on Claude Monet, Frida Kahlo and Venetian masters, among others. We are therefore eagerly looking forward to putting our Flemish superstars in the spotlight at this extraordinary venue!
From April 1 onwards, we bring Goossen Van der Weyden’s exceptional Dymphna altarpiece to the place where it all began: Geel!
With Crazy about Dymphna, The Phoebus Foundation is showing the altarpiece with the life of Saint Dymphna by Goossen Van der Weyden, grandson of the famous Rogier, for the first time in the St. Dymphna Church. Van der Weyden created the monumental altarpiece at the culmination of the Dymphna cult, which is inextricably linked to the city of Geel. The Phoebus Foundation subjected the panels to an extensive restoration project of more than three years, with amazing discoveries!
The exhibition sheds light on Dymphna’s extraordinary life story, the fascinating history of Van der Weyden’s altarpiece and the secrets behind the layers of paint. Moreover, you will become acquainted with the centuries-old tradition of spiritual care, mercy and charity of the city of Geel, of which Saint Dymphna laid the foundations. All this in the form of an audio-visual trajectory with a good dose of humour and haunting emotion.
Immerse yourself in the extraordinary world of Dymphna. Book your ticket now for only one euro!
The sun is shining, the Covid-19 measures have (almost) disappeared,… ideal for a trip to Haarlem!
Until May 8, you can admire At Home with Jordaens at the Frans Hals Museum: the first monographic exhibition of the seventeenth-century Antwerp master Jacob Jordaens in the Netherlands! You will discover everything about Jordaens’ fascinating life and be surprised by the stories behind his ingenious and sometimes witty paintings. Moreover, you will really get to know the master: you will step into the contemporary reconstruction of Jordaens’ showroom with the recently restored original door and ceiling pieces. Except for their original location in Jordaens’ own house, these works have never before been shown together!
Last month to discover the exceptional masterpieces by Jacob Jordaens from the collection of The Phoebus Foundation in Haarlem.
With isolations and quarantines, the end of the coronapandemic does not seem to be in sight. Even our paintings of the famous Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678) in Haarlem had to go into lockdown for a few weeks. Fortunately, we have great news: the At home with Jordaens exhibition at the Frans Hals Museum is open again!
(c) Luk Monsaert
And there’s more! The exhibition has been extended until May 8 so you still have plenty of time to admire Jordaens’s masterpieces and get to know this surprising master better. Book your ticket now!
Within a few years’ time, visitors will be able to enjoy our exhibitions in the most iconic tower of Antwerp and beyond: the Farmers’ Tower!
Constructed between 1928 and 1931 in art-deco style and with a frame of 3500 tons of steel, the tower is a true architectural gem. Various famous architects, among them Emil van Averbeke, Jan Van Hoenacker and Jos Smolderen, were involved in the construction of the monument. With its original height of 87,5 m, the Farmers’ Tower even was the first skyscraper in Europe.
The tower was constructed on the occasion of the World Exhibition in 1930 by the Middenkredietbank, who mainly managed the savings from farmers and the Farmers’ Union. This is why the tower obtained its nickname ‘Boerentoren’. The Antwerp icon later became property of Kredietbank and KBC, whose logo adorns the top of the tower.
In a few years, the Farmers’ Tower will no longer be a financial skyscraper but a cultural tower. Wandering around our exhibitions with a spectacular view on the city center? Having coffee in the sculpture garden on the 10th floor? Taking the elevator to the highest floor and seeing the entire city of Antwerp at a single glance? It will all be possible soon! We look forward to start this exciting adventure together with you!
