KIK-IRPA's news

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.

The Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) is presenting, for one month only, an exceptional exhibition dedicated to the altarpiece of the Adoration of the Magi from the Basilica of San Nazaro Maggiore in Milan. This piece is a masterpiece of Brussels' 15th-century artistic heritage, recently restored by KIK-IRPA. Its Magi are in the spotlight.

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.

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.