KIK-IRPA's news

At the heart of the NEMO European Museum Conference 2023, KIK-IRPA played a crucial role in developing concrete tools to initiate a paradigm shift in the cultural sector.

Our colleague Wim Fremout coordinates the Belgian node of the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (E-RIHS), supporting the interpretation, documentation, preservation, and management of heritage in Europe. Explore further on the new E-RIHS website.

The interactive installation 'Facing Van Eyck. The Miracle of Detail' is back on show! From 20 October to 3 March 2024, it will be on show at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, as part of the exhibition 'Zoom auf van Eyck. Meisterwerke im Detail'.

The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) is organizing an international Summer School in partnership with The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). The course will run from 1 to 12 July 2024.

The altarpiece of the Adoration of the Magi, made in Brussels but conserved in Milan, has been restored by KIK-IRPA experts. The style and exceptional quality of the carvings suggest that the Bormans, a dynasty of Brussels sculptors, made it. We presented it to the public on 16 and 17 September.

The world-famous statue of Manneken Pis wore a special costume on September 14, 2023, to mark the institution's 75th anniversary. The outfit, created by Anouk Van Beurden and Lucien Tigrine, symbolizes the various departments of the institute. By dressing up the statue, we aimed to bring together those involved in Belgian heritage and to advocate for the importance of preserving cultural heritage.

The international and interdisciplinary XXIII Symposium for the Study of Underdrawing and Technology in Painting focuses on 'Cross-Media Perspectives. Technical Studies of Art on Panel, Paper and Parchment (1400-1600)'. The three-day congress will take place from 11 to 13 January 2024 in Leuven and Brussels.

Discover why and how KIK-IRPA takes care of our Belgian heritage in a special edition magazine published to celebrate our 75 anniversary.

According to UNESCO, open science is defined as an inclusive construct that combines various movements and practices aiming to make multilingual scientific knowledge openly available, accessible and reusable for everyone, to increase scientific collaborations and the sharing of information for the benefit of science and society, and to open the processes of scientific knowledge creation, evaluation and communication to societal actors beyond the traditional scientific community.

Sustainability is about adapting our practices to focus on preservation for future generations. It requires linking heritage to strategies for environmental protection, social cohesion, and suitable infrastructures. However, this emerging field also needs to identify gaps and actively improve the integration of sustainability within daily practice.

Are you a heritage professional? Send us your contribution for Bulletin 39, the scientific journal dedicated to the study, conservation and scientific analysis of Belgian cultural and artistic heritage, by 1 December 2023.

This day, two years ago, major floods affected parts of Wallonia, including more than 250 heritage sites and institutions. KIK-IRPA has since been working to assist the affected institutions through the CHrisis project.