KIK-IRPA's news

On 30-31 October 2025, the Art Salinity and Acidity Project (ASAP), the Materials Science for Conservation Research (MatCoRe) unit – jointly supported by KIK-IRPA and the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) – and the Ghent Altarpiece conservation-restoration team came together for a unique two-day collaboration focused on the gilded areas of the paintings.

At the end of October, Camille Jallu, paper conservator who graduated from ENSAV La Cambre, presented a poster at the Icon (Institute of Conservation) Book and Paper Group Conference "Conservation Uncovered: Investigation and Discovery in Treatment and Analysis" (The National Archives, Kew, London).

Flemish Ministers Ben Weyts (Immovable Heritage) and Caroline Gennez (Culture) announced additional funding from the Flemish Government for further work in the final phase of the conservation of the Ghent Altarpiece. The announcement was made during a visit to the conservation studio of the Ghent Altarpiece at the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent.

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On Thursday, December 12th, 2024, heritage enthusiasts gathered at the Saint James' Church in Antwerp for a successful fundraising dinner in support of the conservation and restoration of Rubens' tomb chapel and its artistic treasures.

On behalf of the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage and the Church Board of Saint James' Antwerp, we would like to sincerely thank everyone – both those in attendance and other donors – for their support and generosity.

As with the first two phases of the conservation-restoration project of the Ghent Altarpiece, the KIK-IRPA team has encountered extensive overpainting from the 16th century. The removal of the thick and often heavily darkened layers of paint requires significant time and concentration but gradually reveals the subtle nuances so characteristic of the Van Eyck brothers' painting technique.

The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) is proud of its new collaboration with BRAFA on the 70th anniversary of the art fair. This year's Brussels Art Fair will take place from 26 January to 2 February 2025.

The Textiles Studio of KIK-IRPA worked on two subprojects within the CHrisis project, which was initiated following the 2021 floods in Wallonia. The first project focused on investigating the effects of first aid actions on the long-term preservation and conservation treatment of water-damaged textile heritage. The second research project centered on assessing the value and significance of liturgical textiles.

The Louvre in Paris recently solicited the services of KIK-IRPA for the exhibition 'Revoir Van Eyck. La Vierge du Chancelier Rolin', which runs until June 17, 2024. The painting of The Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, freshly restored, was captured in images again by our teams. Moreover, it got its own section on the Closer to Van Eyck website.

Since May 2023, the third and final phase of the large-scale conservation-restoration campaign of the altarpiece of the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) is ongoing. In recent months, the KIK-IRPA team have been removing non-original varnishes and have carried out a thorough examination of the paint layers underneath. Currently, following the advice of the international commission of experts, they have started removing 16th-century overpaints. Already the first results are breathtakingly beautiful.

From 16 February to 28 April 2024, you will discover at M Leuven everything about the practice of Dieric Bouts, the 15th-century painter from Leuven. Through six works of art, six different scientific research techniques are shown. The contribution of the expertise of the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage was crucial in this.

A recent news report on the VRT website shows the progress of the restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece by the Van Eyck brothers. The team of restorers, supported by a committee of experts, is making substantial progress on the upper panels of the polyptych. The coverage by the VRT highlights the meticulous work of the restorers.