When, heavy flooding in July 2021 impacted more than 250 heritage sites, the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA), in close cooperation with the relevant regional organisations, has coordinated a cross-sectoral response. In follow-up, the Cultural Heritage in Crisis (CHrisis) project works on recovery actions as well as on improving risk preparedness and management for the affected sites.

KIK-IRPA will be hosting a new special guest in the coming few years. The Triptych of the Descent from the Cross, painted by Dieric Bouts between 1450 and 1458, will be analysed and restored at our Institute before it travels back to the Royal Chapel of Granada Cathedral in Spain in 2026.

In the PHySICAL project (Profound study of Hydrous and Solvent Interactions in Cleaning Asian Lacquer), RMAH-KMKG, UGent and the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage searched for the most effective way to clean lacquered surfaces. The result? A chemically and physically tested cleaning protocol to restore the magnificent collection of Asian lacquer items in the Art & History Museum to their full glory.

Thanks to the Closer to Van Eyck website, since 2012 millions of people have been zooming in on the staggeringly beautiful details of one of the world's most acclaimed works of art: the Ghent Altarpiece. In 2020, more than a quarter of a million interested people worldwide already took a look, and in the COVID period the number of visitors even increased by 800%. This shows the enormous potential of modern digital technology to make works of art from all eras widely accessible. The website was recently renewed and contains high resolution images of the restored paintings, new videos and educational material.

Panamarenko's Aero-Pedalo No. 9 was at risk of collapsing and needed urgent restoration. But the inner structure of the work was a real mystery to the restorers. The Imagery Unit of the Institute was therefore commissioned to produce X-rays of the parachutist.

For a long time, the altarpiece of "The Adoration of the Magi" in the Basilica of San Nazaro Maggiore in Milan was attributed to a German craftsman. Following a study and restoration by KIK-IRPA, it has been revealed to be a masterpiece by a famous dynasty of Brussels sculptors: the Bormans. This momentous work has been restored to its former splendour, offering us a fascinating insight into 15th-century international exchanges within Europe.

How do you preserve items made of various materials, such as the Enclosed Gardens (Besloten Hofjes) in Mechelen? Within the ArtGarden project, an interdisciplinary research team determines the ideal preservation conditions for these kinds of historical mixed-media items. We make the results accessible to the broader heritage sector through an online tool.

At the request of L Museum in Louvain-La-Neuve, KIK is restoring a unique collection of antique glass. Through a typo-chronological study and chemical analyses, the experts are also looking for the origin of some rare pieces. This task, entrusted to KIK, was recently extended to include the editing of a collection catalogue.

The painting Dull Gret by Pieter Bruegel the Elder is the centrepiece of the Museum Mayer van den Bergh in Antwerp. The restoration of this masterpiece was entrusted to the specialists of the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage. Together with Bruegel expert Christina Currie, they made several spectacular discoveries.

How close can you get to the creative genius of the Flemish master? The pioneering VERONA project has opened a whole new chapter in the study of the paintings of Jan van Eyck (c. 1390-1441). A permanent team of researchers and photographers from the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) went on site to study and document all the paintings of Jan van Eyck housed in renowned museums in Belgium and abroad, in high resolution and according to a standardised protocol. This comprehensive visual material is now available online on the Closer to Van Eyck website.

RE-ORG helps museums to manage their depot collections correctly. The SHARE-ORG competition looks for creative ways to display the pieces to the public.

Within the CRUMBEL project (Cremations, Urns and Mobility - Ancient Population Dynamics in Belgium), researchers from UGent, ULB, VUB and the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) have been studying the cremated bones found on Belgian burial sites dating from the Neolithic to the early Middle Ages. Their goal is to better understand our ancestors' way of life. To that end, they are mapping the migrations and movements of the populations that populated our regions at that time.

In the early 1990s, AWaP archaeologists made an exceptional discovery in the soil of Stavelot Abbey: a remarkable collection of Romanesque stained glass windows dating from the 12th century. Shortly afterwards, the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage experts were commissioned to treat these very damaged glass fragments. They developed a very original process for this purpose.

After three years of research and restoration, Jan II Borman's Saint George Altarpiece (1493) hangs resplendent with beauty once again in the Museum of Art & History. The interdisciplinary study, carried out in collaboration with the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, has made unexpected discoveries and shed light on age-old mysteries. After almost two centuries, the beautifully carved statuettes have been returned to their original place in the monumental masterpiece, which has been restored. This project was made possible with the support of the King Baudouin Foundation (René and Karin Jonckheere Fund).