Collaborations

Universities

Prof. Dr. Max Martens of Ghent University is, in association with KMSKA, conducting research into Quentin Matsys and Early Renaissance painting in Antwerp.
The museum’s collaboration with Brussels University (VUB) has been apparent in recent years in the appointment of Prof. Dr. Arnout Balis as research leader of the Rubens project (2008-2010).
In 2010, the museum cooperated with an international team of scientists under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Koen Janssens of the University of Antwerp whose topics of study have included the discolouration in the work of Vincent Van Gogh and other artists. Dr. Geert Van der Snickt, also associated with the University of Antwerp, is conducting analyses of paint samples from and PXRF measurements on works by Peter Paul Rubens in the museum collection.
The Centre of Mexican Studies, a research institute associated with the University of Antwerp, supports research into cultural exchanges between Mexico and Belgium. In collaboration with the museum, the centre is researching the influence of 16th- and 17th-century Southern Netherlandish painting on painting in New Spain.
Finally, the museum is working with Prof. Dr. Saskia de Bodt of the University of Utrecht (Netherlands) on a research project into 19th-century naturalism in the collection of KMSKA.
In addition, KMSKA disseminates its expertise by participating in the training of students of art history. The museum accommodates Ba and Ma trainees from all the aforementioned universities, as well as Radboud University in Nijmegen (Netherlands).

Research Centres & Organisations

KMSKA collaborates with the Rubenianum, a knowledge and documentation centre of the City of Antwerp specialising in late Mediaeval to 18th-century art. Its main focus is on the Low Countries, particularly the work of Rubens, Jordaens and van Dyck. Together, KMSKA and the Rubenianum aim to enhance their research into Rubens through a smooth exchange of information between their respective teams. Furthermore, the museum collaborates with Centrum Rubenianum vzw, an associated organisation that promotes research into 16th- and 17th-century Flemish art. To this end, it edits scholarly publications, including the high-profile Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard – a catalogue of the oeuvre of Peter Paul Rubens.
Arcobaleno vzw partners the museum in its material-technical collection research, specifically in the field of X-ray imaging.
Finally, KMSKA collaborates with the Ghent Interdisciplinary Centre for Art & Science on its Quentin Matsys research programme.

Museums & Exhibition Centres

Under the permanent collaborative structure of Flanders Art Collection, KMSKA maintains close ties with two other major Flemish museums, namely the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent and Groeningemuseum in Bruges. The Flanders Art Collection strives to combine the collections and expertise of these three museums with a view to enhancing their international stature.
KMSKA also frequently enters into temporary cooperation agreements with museums at home and abroad in preparation of specific exhibitions. It is currently working with the Royal Academy in London on the preparation of an exhibition on the influence of Rubens on Western art.
Other partner institutions include the Municipal Museums of Mechelen and Lier, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lille (France), Koningin Fabiolazaal (KFZ) of the Province of Antwerp and Antwerp’s new MAS. Finally, KMSKA is working on various joint-projects with regular partners such as Rockoxhuis museum and BOZAR.

Memberships of Scientific Committees

Staff members of the Collection Research Department sit on various scientific committees. The department has representatives on several working groups under the Flemish Art Collection initiative, including those focusing on the Collection, the Flemish Primitives, James Ensor and Georges Minne. Furthermore, they participate in various collaborative initiatives involving universities and museums, such as the 19th-Century Working Group, the Ensor Advisory Committee, the Rubenianum Centre and Diptech, a working group involving Flemish Art Collection, Ghent University and the University of Antwerp for the purpose of establishing a material-technical research platform for Flanders.

Scientific Reference Tools

KMSKA’s research activities for the collection catalogue adhere to the guidelines of the Netherlands Institute for Art History in the Hague and the Getty Foundation in Los Angeles.

External Partners

In its research activities, KMSKA collaborates on a regular basis with external experts such as Adri Verburg, Marie Gevaerts, Claire Betelu and Jean-Albert Glatigny.