570,000 visitors in 2025: KMSKA sets a new record in its third year after reopening
The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) closes 2025 with over 570,000 visitors, setting a new record. Its reopening year in 2023 attracted nearly 535,000 visitors.
The year began strongly with the final month of the Ensor exhibition. The success continued unabated with the exhibition Hans Op de Beeck: Nocturnal Journey, together accounting for more than 300,000 visitors. The autumn exhibitions dedicated to Donas and Magritte also performed remarkably well.
This record confirms the museum’s broad appeal. KMSKA is firmly anchored in the cultural landscape, both locally and internationally. With a mix of major crowd-pleasers, intellectually strong exhibitions, and rich visitor experiences, we reach an exceptionally wide audience.
From Ensor to Hans Op de Beeck: crowd favorites across different eras
The record year builds on the impressive success of In your wildest dreams. Ensor beyond impressionism. The final month in January 2025 alone attracted nearly 60,000 visitors, making it the most visited exhibition since the reopening and laying a strong foundation for this exceptional year. After that historic peak, contemporary art also confirmed its strong appeal to audiences.
The first major exhibition of 2025, Hans Op de Beeck: Nocturnal Journey, became an unprecedented success. The exhibition devoted to this internationally renowned contemporary artist attracted more than 250,000 visitors, making it the most visited exhibition ever in Belgium dedicated to a contemporary artist. With his serene, nocturnal universe, Op de Beeck succeeded in engaging a highly diverse audience from both Belgium and abroad.
A strong modernist autumn
The modernist autumn exhibitions also performed exceptionally well. Together, they have already attracted over 185,000 visitors: 160,000 in 2025 and more than 25,000 in the first weeks of the new year. The prestigious exhibition Donas, Archipenko & La Section d’Or. Enchanting Modernism closed last weekend, offering a unique perspective on international modernism. Meanwhile, Magritte. La ligne de vie continues to draw visitors. Until 22 February, visitors can immerse themselves in the unique lecture that Magritte gave at KMSKA in 1938. Using AI technology, you can hear Magritte in his own words explain how he developed his iconic visual language. You couldn’t get any closer to Magritte.
Even beyond the major exhibitions, peak moments remain important crowd-pullers. The Christmas holidays were once again a resounding success, attracting over 40,000 visitors.
This record year is no coincidence but the result of a carefully considered, diverse programming that appeals to a wide audience. Visitors come for the major exhibitions but keep returning for the collection, the Thursday evening nocturnes, and our year-round public programs. The trust of more than half a million visitors strengthens our ambition and shows that the public has truly embraced KMSKA.
2026 focused on international stars
After this exceptional year, KMSKA is looking ahead with ambition. In 2026, the museum will present a strong international exhibition program featuring, among others, Antony Gormley, Philip Aguirre y Otegui, and Ossip Zadkine, complemented by intimate presentations in the print cabinet, public projects for all ages, live restorations, and the regular Thursday evening nocturnes of KMSKA LATE. Discover the full program here.
With this outlook, KMSKA reaffirms its role as a vibrant, internationally oriented museum where major art, research, and visitor experiences go hand in hand.
