Museum Mayer van den Bergh

We enjoyed this lovely, small museum and the masterpieces it contains. Private collections are fabulous to see and this one is small but excellent with fabulous pieces of art and interesting objects Mayer van den Bergh collected. We could get close to the artwork to study them and they are worth taking a close look at. We were given a good English handbook explaining each object which was excellent. The only issue we had is that we are older and finding enough light to read was hard a couple of times. It would be fabulous if an audio guide in English was available. The museum staff was kind and helpful. There are lockers in the courtyard and toilets in the orphanage building. The museum is included with the Antwerp City Card and is definitely worth making time for. We spent a good 1-1/2 hours there.

It’s one of my best museum experiences. From the start, the staff were very friendly and helpful. It’s a small museum but I found Bruegl’s arts in its own specific room and that was a pleasant surprise. They gave you a booklet that explains the history of the museum and each of the arts so you can enjoy it more. They made it into a journey of some sort where you can go from one room to another with each room having its own theme and story. I also got free postcard at the end. Please be aware that to pay for the entrance fee, you have to use card as the cash is not allowed but you can use cash to buy the souvenirs.

Currently on display at Antwerp's Maagdenhuis, the collection is still spectacular! The items chosen for display have been carefully curated with unique stories behind them, all the rooms are thoughtfully constructed and well designed to showcase the objects. There is a booklet that tells you about each object and information available on why it was selected, which helped every art piece or object to feel relevant to modern viewers. The staff is wonderful, friendly, and welcoming, and very happy to have a chat about the collection and share their thoughts on the art. This made for a very enjoyable visit, and I wish I lived in Antwerp so I could visit again!

An impressive collection of Dutch and Belgian art housed in the former family home of art collector Fritz Mayer van den Bergh. Our visit was spontaneous, and we didn’t regret it at all. The museum offers a stunning display of paintings, statues, and stained glass, all presented in an intimate, home-like setting. There’s also a significant focus on religious art— Fritz had a particular fascination with Maria Lactans images 🤨. Imagine having the means to acquire such an extensive collection, and a mother so dedicated that she transformed it into a public museum after her son’s passing! Our experience was worthwhile the visit!

On 27th of April, the museum will close its doors for a 4 years long renovation. You still have time to see all the amazing works here. Not only Dulle Griet, but also Quinten Matsys, Jordaens, Breughel, a lot of medieval religious statues. It's definitely worth a visit!

A great museum with beautiful rooms and a lot of awesome Renaissance and medieval art. The medieval art was spectacular and there are free lockers to store your bags and items in. I would highly recommend this museum to any lover of medieval art.

Lovely museum in an old Antwerp house. Quiet when I was there so I had plenty of time to admire the art in blissful peace. Interesting paintings by Brueghel (young) and Bruegel (old). Some unique statues from the 14c and other examples of fine art. For your €10 entry fee you get a small book of museum highlights that is serviceable without being great.

A beautiful interesting small collection, a must see in Antwerp. Unfortunately the visit was marred by the lack of electricity and total darkness in the main halls, the staff did not even try to warn out about technical problems in museum and sold tickets at full price, with no explanation what happened, no apologies.

My museum timing is often uncannily bad, but this time I must've gotten lucky, because very soon this space will be closed for a lonnnnnng time. Sneaked in! Lots of paintings by the artist in a dark and visceral space. Bookcases always a good thing too. His famous hellscape is on display in it's own room with a bench and low lighting, so that was good thinking by the curators. The gift shop has some nice postcards and magnets and other little objects. The staff is friendly. There are lockers to put your stuff. The price is right. Keen eyed museum goers might find an oddly placed box containing several keys in one of the galleries. I couldn't help but snoop around in it... it's a little thing for the kids to find. If I was a wee one and I found this box, I would be losing my shit. Such a great idea by the staff! You turn in the key to the front desk and get a little surprise. Adults too, apparently :D

Dit museum in hartje Antwerpen is zeker een bezoekje waard, al is het al voor het mooie gebouw zelf. Binnenin schuilt een indrukwekkende privécollectie die aantoont dat deze familie gerust wat centjes had en dat de Fritz geen schrik had om deze te investeren. Het was leuk om de portretten van 17e eeuwse elite families te begapen en je in te beelden hoe deze mensen met deze interessante kapsels en fashion keuzes hun dagen doorbrachten. De landschappen gaven dan weer een leuke terugblik naar de dagdagelijkse bezigheden van de mensen van toen. Wat ontzettend uit het oog sprong was de De Dulle Griet, een prachtig werk waar je naar kan blijven staren. Het rood oranje zet meteen de toon. Leuk ook vond ik de oude kistjes en juwelenverzameling. Persoonlijk iets minder vond ik alle religieuze werken, mogelijks omdat we verwend werden met net iets te veel van hetzelfde.

This house museum is a gorgeous way to step back in time. While not a huge place, it packs a big punch. You can wind your way through a few floors of charming art and history, appreciating interesting details as you go. They are currently interspersing a few contemporary works to juxtapose them with the permanent collection, which was something different. Visit both this lovely place and the Rockoxhuis Museum on your trip to Antwerp!

Recently,I was fortunate enough to spend a delightful day at the cosy Mayer Van Den Berghe Art Museum which specializes in Netherlandish and Flemish Paintings.However,I saw fine Italian and French Baroque Paintings as well.Personal favorites were Simeone and Machilone Da Spoleto's"Scenes From The Life of the Virgin(13th Century),Lucas Cranach the Elder's"Saints Barbara and Catherine",Ambrosius Benson's"Saint Jerome"Marcellus Coffermans'"Virgin and Christ Child On Throne",Jacob Jordaens'"Adoration of Shepherds",Pieter Breughel the Younger's"Census of Bethlehem",,Frans Francken the Elder's"Wedding Dance",Jacob Ochtervelt's"Vegetable Seller",and Pieter Breughel the Elder's"Dulles Griet";its most famous painting.The staff was very helpful and there was plenty of information in English which enriched me even more:,

Before I forget I probably should mention that the ticket into the Cathedral also gives you access to this musuem, which is pretty cool, even if I'm still a little grumpy about having to pay to go into a church (though those churches don't upkeep themselves). Anyway, this is basically an art museum with a focus on religious and medieval art. Personally, in my books you really can't go past an art museum, and this place is no exception. In fact it happens to be a private collection, and I have to give credit to those who are willing to open their collections to the public (though since Mayer lived in the 19th Century he is probably long dead by now - or a vampire, but let's not speculate on that). The one thing that stood out was that I accidentally lost my key and some nice person, instead of taking the contents of my locker, hid it so I could find it again. Oh, and there was also a special exhibition on religious art and music, and they had some choral odes playing in the background. Definitely worth checking out.

Fritz Mayer van den Bergh was a very well off Belgian who loved art and accumulated a very impressive collection of over 1000 pieces. The museum is basically his house that shows the visitor many of his purchases but by no means all of them. Most impressive, to me anyway, were the Bruegels. He favored 14th to 16th century paintings but the collection stretches far beyond that time frame. Unlike many museums these days in Europe, you CAN take photographs in this one (minus the flash). There is also one room with a couple of computers where you can watch and learn more about the man and his life and obsession of art. There was also another room that was closed off but I'm guessing it is for school trips for young children who can also learn about art. The musuem is over a few floors and you can get through it in an hour but do take your time and enjoy the collection.