Open Day KIK-IRPA
On 2 and 3 March 2023, the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage opened its doors to nearly 1600 visitors who came to discover more about our unique interdisciplinary institute, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
On Thursday and Friday, 2 and 3 March 2023, KIK-IRPA opened its doors to 1600 visitors nationwide. They discovered the services of our scientific institute and talked to our art historians and experts in the labs and workshops. The public visited, among other things, the digitization services, the scientific imaging studios, the radiography and infrared reflectography rooms, and the numerous restoration workshops.
It was a pleasure for our visitors to discover that our work is not limited to the restoration of works of art but also concerns the study and documentation of our history, which is helpful for the research in the field of cultural heritage, keeping in mind sustainability and social utility at all times.
This open day is a special event, in the context of the 75th anniversary of our interdisciplinary institute, located in the Cinquantenaire, in the heart of Europe.
The Polychrome Wood Sculpture Studio presented, among other things, a Brussels altarpiece of the Adoration of the Magi from the Basilica of San Nazaro Maggiore in Milan, a masterpiece of 15th-century Brabantine sculpture, as well as a Christ Triumphant in the Rococo style, attributed to the Namur sculptor Feuillen Houssart. Our experts answered all the questions of a public astonished by the works' richness.
The Painting Studio team presented a work by P.P. Rubens (1577-1640) undergoing restoration as part of the Heritage Challenge, "Madonna surrounded by saints", from Antwerp, a Christ crowned with thorns by Dirck Bouts (1410-1475), for the Museum M in Leuven, "The 7 joys of the Virgin", a painting by Lanceloot Blondeel (1496-1561) from the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Tournai, and a 15th-century painting depicting various scenes from the life of St. Joseph from the Church of St. Catherine in Hoogstraten.
More KIK-IRPA news
The third phase of the restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece will begin
After the treatment of the closed polyptych (2012-2016) and the lower register of the opened polyptych (2016-2019), the third phase of the restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece (1432) starts this month. The upper panels of the monumental artwork by the Van Eyck brothers moved from St Bavo Cathedral to the Museum of Fine Arts (MSK) in Ghent on 2 May. KIK-IRPA experts will carry out in-depth research and the challenging restoration for three years.
Cinquantenaire Park 2030
The federal government intends to transform the Cinquantenaire Park and its institutions into new sociocultural flagship for Belgium, and this by Belgium's 200th anniversary in 2030. The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, the Royal Museum of Art and History, the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History, and Autoworld are committed to developing, together with the non-profit association Horizon 50-200, an ambitious master plan for the Cinquantenaire site under the banner 'Cinquantenaire 2030' culminating with two hubs focusing on Innovation and Heritage.