In these times of austerity drives, cuts, and tightened governmental purse strings, Antwerp’s huge new Museum aan de Stroom (‘Museum on the Water’) is a glorious reminder of more optimistic times. A towering blend of terracotta cladding and corrugated glass, it’s a bold building that looks a little like a snapshot from a game of Tetris superimposed on the Antwerp skyline. Buildings don’t come much more striking than this.
Walk a little closer, and you’ll spot that the slabs of Indian sandstone are embellished with thousands of silver cast hands. It’s a nod to the Antwerp tale of Antegoon, the giant who once extorted tolls for crossing the river Scheldt, slicing off the hands of any fare dodgers and throwing them into the sea. He eventually got his come-uppance at the hands of a Roman soldier called Silvius Bravo, a scene immortalised in the fountain in the city’s main square. The hands stuck to the MAS have an altogether more savoury origin, cast from a Moroccan labourer who worked on the construction of the 65m high building.
With a building like this, there’s always a danger of it overshadowing what’s actually inside. Luckily the museum is huge, wonderfully laid out, and endlessly fascinating. It’s easy to spend an entire morning or afternoon exploring its nine floors, which are assembled like a giant spiral staircase, giving each a stunning view across the city.
The exhibits are playfully displayed with scant regard to chronology – expect to find
Koen Van den Broek’s Madonna next to the Flemish masters, ornate Oriental furniture inspected on high by a huge puffa fish, and a bizarre shell collection piled up between the works of Peter Paul Rubens. Sections are themed: ‘Life and Death’ looks at how the world’s cultures and religions deal with the big questions, and ‘Metropolis’ takes stock of how Antwerp has found its place in the world over the centuries. ‘Masterpieces in the MAS’ lets you get up close to Flemish masters like
Rubens and Van Dyck, and ‘Displays of Power’ looks at the ways men and nations have used symbolism, pomp and weaponry to impose their might through history.
Particularly fascinating is the floor the MAS has given over to ‘visible storage’, which allows visitors to browse the thousands of artefacts not currently on display. You can peer through grilles and rifle through drawers and find anything from a Japanese woodcut to an antique garden gnome, and even see some of them being restored by museum staff. It’s a wonderful antidote to all that peering at paintings from behind a rope you get in stuffier museums.
The MAS is kickstarting the regeneration of the portside Eilandje district, a once notoriously seedy part of the city. New bars and restaurants are springing up at the waterside, and fashion designer Dries Van Noten has moved his workshop opposite. The Storm bar at the bottom of the building has become a destination in its own right, and you can head to the upper floors for fantastic panoramic views across Antwerp. Gaze at the city in style in the ninth floor restaurant, and look down to see local artist Luc Tuyman’s ‘Dead Skull’ mosaic on the courtyard below. It’s only visible from the top of the building.
Often overlooked in favour of Brussels and Bruges, Antwerp’s a brilliant place to head for a weekend city break. It’s less touristy than the capital, with cutting edge couture and trendy bars jostling for position with the obligatory chocolate, beer and cobblestones. The MAS is just the latest in a long line of reasons why Antwerp should be on your radar.
Fancy seeing the MAS for yourself? Return tickets from London to Antwerp start at just £80. Find out more in our
destination guide.
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Find out more about the
MAS on their website Find out more about the
MAS on their website You can even get a feel for the place by steering a guide through the
building's nine floors.
Many thanks to our friends at
Visit Flanders for their help with organising the trip
