The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) is placing Belgian abstract artist Guy Vandenbranden (1926–2014) in the wider context of the European avant-garde in a new exhibition marking the centenary of his birth. Running from 16 October 2026 to 17 January 2027, the exhibition traces his artistic development and explores his connections with fellow artists, including Jef Verheyen, Lucio Fontana, Pol Bury, Yayoi Kusama, and Günther Uecker.
Visitors will encounter a world of bold colours, sharp lines and geometric shapes. Vandenbranden began his career as a figurative artist before developing an abstract visual language built around circles, squares and triangles. His carefully constructed compositions explore the balance between colour, line and form.
Inspired by artists such as Paul Klee, Piet Mondriaan, and Victor Vasarely, Vandenbranden continually refined his approach to abstraction. He expanded his colour palette and experimented with new techniques and industrial materials, developing a distinctive style characterised by simplicity, precision and harmony.
His ambitions extended beyond painting. Vandenbranden envisaged art and architecture merging into a unified whole, viewing his paintings not as isolated objects but as components of a larger environment.
“A century after Guy Vandenbranden’s birth, this is an excellent opportunity to bring his work back into the spotlight. This exhibition shows how innovative Belgian abstract art was in the post-war period and how closely artists such as Vandenbranden were connected to developments beyond our national borders,” said Carmen Willems, director-general of the KMSKA.
Antwerp as a meeting place for the avant-garde
Born in Brussels, Vandenbranden moved to Antwerp in 1960, entering a vibrant artistic community where Belgian and European artists met, exchanged ideas and experimented with new forms of abstraction.
During the 1950s and 1960s, artist groups played an important role in fostering experimentation, artistic innovation and international exchange. Vandenbranden helped build these networks from Antwerp, joining or co-founding groups such as Art Abstrait and the Nieuwe Vlaamse School (New Flemish School). He also organised exhibitions in Belgium and abroad, contributing to the international profile of the Belgian avant-garde.
The KMSKA exhibition brings together two strands of his story: the evolution of his work throughout his career and the artistic exchanges that shaped it.
“The exhibition brings together two strands: the development of Vandenbranden’s work throughout his career and his artistic exchanges with artists from Belgium and abroad. His work did not emerge in isolation, but developed within this international network. By presenting him alongside his contemporaries, we make that artistic cross-fertilisation visible,” said Lisa van Gerven, the KMSKA curator of Guy Vandenbranden in the European avant-garde.
Art and museums in Antwerp
- REVIEW | Mercator-Orteliushuis in Antwerp.
- EXHIBITION | ‘Antwerp Unfiltered’ brings 3,000 analogue views of the city to Het Steen, from 27 September 2026 to January 2027.
- ANTWERP | FOMU to open three new exhibitions by Graciela Iturbide, Léonard Pongo and Lola Pertsowsky.
- PHOTOS | Behind The Scenes tour of the Antwerp opera house.
- Medieval Antwerp comes to life with archaeological exhibition at Het Steen.
- Opera Ballet Vlaanderen unveils ‘À la flamande’ 2026–2027 season.
- ANTWERP | ‘Martial Arts’: MAS exhibition explores the rich world of combat sports and martial traditions.
- REVIEW | ‘The Antwerp Six’ exhibition at the Antwerp fashion museum MoMu.
- ANTWERP | M HKA opens new season with exhibition on censorship and artistic resistance.
- ANTWERP | Climb the Cathedral of Our Lady tower.
- ANTWERP | Rubens House appoints two design teams.
- Antwerp’s municipal museums surpass 2 million visitors in 2025.
- ANTWERP | KMSKA schedules ambitious exhibition programme for 2026, featuring international masters such as Antony Gormley, Philip Aguirre y Otegui and Ossip Zadkine.
- Museums of the City of Antwerp look ahead to 2026.
- REVIEW | ‘La ligne de vie’ René Magritte exhibition at Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA).
- 2028 to be Music Year in Antwerp.
- ANTWERP | Museum Mayer van den Bergh opens exhibition ‘Public Favourites’, from Mad Meg to Delft Blue, look at art through other people’s eyes.
- ANTWERP | Graphics Museum De Reede ft. Francisco Goya, Edvard Munch, Félicien Rops and Albrecht Dürer.
- ANTWERP | Rubens Experience and Rubens Garden at Rubenshuis.
- ANTWERP | Innovations in the Middelheim Museum provide a completely new visitor experience.
- A visit of the Flemish Tram and Bus Museum – Vlaams Tram- en Autobusmuseum (VlaTAM) in Antwerp.
- ANTWERP | Discovering queer(ed) art with the Queer Tour at the KMSKA fine arts museum.
- REVIEW | Illusion Antwerpen, an active and photogenic museum.
- Antwerp museums and sports facilities team up with European Disability Card for accessible leisure activities.
- Museum Mayer van den Bergh.
- ANTWERP | Inside Rubens House.
- Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp.
- ANTWERP | Museum Vleeshuis up for restoration.
- BOOK | ‘Antwerp. An Archaeological View on the Origin of the City’ by Tim Bellens.
- Red Star Line Museum.
- Paleis op de Meir.
- DIVA, Antwerp Home of Diamonds.
- ANTWERP | Red Star Line Museum of (e)migration.
