The Royal Museum of Art and History in the Cinquantenaire Park in Brussels has been treated to a complete overhaul, with a new name, logo, website and exhibition strategy. The origins of the museum, like the park, date back to the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Belgian state in 1830, when the park was laid out by Leopold II at the cost of the Crown Foundation – his personal fortune, albeit drawn from his exploitation of the Congo. The park houses three museums built around the central triumphal arch: the Royal Museum of Art and History, the Military Museum and Autoworld. Alone among the three, Autoworld is a private concern, the other two forming part of the remit of the federal ministry for science.
From now on, the official name of the museum is Museum of Art and History. There comes also a new logo, and a newly refurbished website (www.kmkg-mrah.be/nl/koninklijke-musea-voor-kunst-en-geschiedenis) with information on the museum’s services for the public as well as for schools.
The approach to exhibitions will also be adapted. The museum houses a diverse range of collections, including national archaeology and European decorative arts, as well as a highly-regarded collection of Islamic art and artefacts.
The new exhibition policy will include more temporary exhibitions built around the museum’s own collections, together with more attention to the Egypt and 19th and 20th century rooms, as well as the museum’s maquette of the ancient city of Rome.
Alan Hope
Brussels Times
