As the days are getting shorter, the ideal museum weather has arrived. Spending an afternoon at an exhibition is all the more interesting when it is raining cats and dogs outside. We’ve selected 7 exhibitions not to miss in Belgium this autumn.
1. Luz y sombra. Goya and Spanish Realism
From 8th October 2025 to 11th January 2026 at Bozar Brussels
Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) was a man of many contrasts. Light and shadow, festivities and injustices, upper class and commoners – they are all important parts of his oeuvre. Moreover, the painter has played an important role in shaping the collective imaginary of what is perceived as Spanish. With his avant-garde style, he still manages to captivate his audience well beyond his death and will stand centre stage at the Bozar during Luz y sombra: Goya and Spanish Realism.
2. David Hockney. Le Chant de la Terre
From 4th October 2025 to 25th January 2026 at CAP Mons
How does David Hockney’s art dialogue with paintings by artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch, Constantin Meunier, Albert Edelfelt, or Konrad Mägi? And how does it mix with poetry and music, especially Gustav Mahler’s Le Chant de la Terre? To find out the answer to those questions, CAP Mons has put together David Hockney. Le Chant de la Terre. A six-part exhibition where the visual and auditory come together in an artistic melange.
3. Magritte. La ligne de vie
From 15th November 2025 to 22nd February 2026 at KMSKA Antwerp
With Brussels’ Magritte Museum, Belgium is already quite spoiled in terms of Surrealism, but the KMSKA in Antwerp is adding its own point of view to the mix. During Magritte. In La ligne de vie, the painter acts as his own curator. The exhibition centres around a 1938 lecture by René Magritte at the KMSKA on his vision of reality. “The Ladder of Fire gave me the privilege of experiencing what the first men felt who made fire by rubbing two stones together. In turn, I made fire from a sheet of paper, an egg, and a key”, René Magritte said at the time.
4. Donas, Archipenko & La Section d’Or. Enchanting Modernism
From 4th October 2025 to 11th January 2026 at KMSKA Antwerp
When paying a visit to the KMSKA, one could easily hit two birds with one stone by combining Magritte’s exhibition with Donas, Archipenko & La Section d’Or. Enchanting Modernism. Concentrating on Antwerp’s female modernist artist Marthe Donas, the exhibition focuses not only on the colour, shape, and movement of her work but also on her central role in the international avant-garde, alongside the work of her partner at the time, Ukrainian sculptor Alexander Archipenko. Surrounded by masterpieces by artist friends such as Mondrian, Modigliani, Goncharova, and Vassilieff, the oeuvre and story of this forgotten leading lady offer a glimpse into a modernism that is colourful, groundbreaking, and surprisingly gender-diverse.
5. Japoniaiseries. Fantaisies japonaises au temps de Félicien Rops
From 18th October 2025 to 15th February 2026 at Musée Félicien Rops Namur
Japan has long been a mystery to the rest of the world. Since its reopening to the Occidental world in 1853, it has played a major inspirational role in the artistic world. Artist Félicien Rops himself was defined partly through that fascination, both positively and negatively. In Japoniaiseries. Fantaisies japonaises au temps de Félicien Rops, the visitor gets to see Rops’ oeuvre through that point of view, as well as a selection by other Occidental artists (including Edgar Degas and James Ensor) and their Japanese sources of inspiration, such as Keisai Eisen, Suzuki Harunobu, and Utagawa Hiroshige.
6. Stephan Vanfleteren. Transcripts of a Sea
From 20th September 2025 to 4th January 2026 at MSK Ghent
Belgian photographer Stephan Vanfleteren has become world-famous for his black-and-white depictions. Aside from his striking portraits, the artist also knows how to portray the everyday beauty and gloominess in Belgium and abroad. Stephan Vanfleteren. Transcripts of a Sea shares the enchantment that has driven him to and into the sea over the past five years. Never-before-shown photographs let visitors discover centuries of marine art, from the seventeenth to the twenty-first century, through a fresh perspective.
7. Typefaces
From 11th July 2025 to 22nd February 2026 at Industrie Museum Ghent
While letters are everywhere, many rarely take the occasion to observe and appreciate all those different kinds of typography. Nonetheless, a lot of time and effort have gone into their design, especially before the rise of the digital revolution. Typefaces explores the rich history of typography, its process, and uses.
Artist in residence Jan Vermandere created playful artworks throughout the exhibition that show the creativity that can be found in our alphabet.
