New Acquisitions through Antwerp Art Spaces
With eight recent acquisitions made through Antwerp art spaces, the M HKA and the City of Antwerp explicitly reaffirm their commitment to the local art scene. The works were purchased from spaces that are often less visible than established galleries, yet play a key role in the development of artists who live and work here.
Investing in the Local Art Scene
Since the end of 2020, the City of Antwerp has been consciously investing in a collection of contemporary visual art. Not only because this field was underrepresented within the municipal art collection, but also to strengthen the local art scene: artists, Antwerp galleries and the M HKA.
For this reason, the city relied on the expertise and collection vision of the M HKA. With municipal funding, more than one hundred artworks were acquired between 2020 and 2025 by artists who live and work in Antwerp and whose practices closely align with the museum’s collection policy.
In recent years, the acquired works were presented in two exhibitions: Lipstick and Gas Masks – The City Collection Antwerp (February – April 2021) and The City Collection: IN/SIGHT (May 2024 – January 2025).
The final € 60,000 was invested at the end of last year in a targeted way through acquisitions from Antwerp art spaces. This resulted in eight new works, purchased via LLS Paleis, SECONDROOM, Violet, Forbidden City, AAIMACHINE and Lichtekooi.
The New Acquisitions
- LLS Paleis: Marie-Sophie Beinke (b. 1990), Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 2023, lacquer and pencil on polypropylene
- SECONDROOM: Ilse Van Roy (b. 1978) & Frederic Geurts (b. 1965), Embracing Silent Moments Like This, 2024, installation
- Violet: Sine Van Menxel (b. 1988), Spoons and Plates, 2022, series of seven photograms
- Violet: Liesbet Grupping (b. 1984), Blanca, 2024, series of three slides
- Forbidden City: Karsten Krogh-Hansen (b. 1997), Suspect, 2025, oil on linen
- Forbidden City: Meriton Maloku (b. 1989), Burning Houses, 2022, mixed media on canvas
- AAIMACHINE: More than 200 artists, Salon de la Muse, 2024, digital file and spatial construction
- Lichtekooi: Stijn ter Braak (b. 1995), My Bathroom, 2021, digital file and spatial construction
A Clear Collection Vision
The acquisitions made since 2020 fit within the collection vision of the M HKA. A project working group of curators and collection specialists formulated the proposals. They worked from a vision focused on a diverse, “international yet localized” profile. The international post-war avant-garde in Antwerp and Flanders serves as an intellectual point of departure.
The acquisitions followed three main lines: works by younger artists with the potential to become reference points; artists who highlight Antwerp’s international dimension; and artists who play a key role within the Antwerp art scene, for example as figureheads of a gallery. Each year, a different focus was chosen.
Within the working group, there was also a desire to invest specifically in Antwerp art spaces. This was realized in the most recent acquisition round. Alternative art spaces were deliberately approached, ensuring that — alongside the galleries where most acquisitions took place — a less visible yet essential part of the local art scene was also included.
