Visit an exhibition where colour sets the pace. A red that sings brings together three artists who redefined painting with rich, unrestrained pigments.

James Ensor, Rik Wouters and Jules Schmalzigaug are known as Belgium's Big Three modern colour artists for good reason. Theirs are illustrious names, each of whom sought to transcend the soft colour palette of the Impressionists in their own way. For them, the power of a renewed, post-Impressionist composition lay precisely in the play of rich pigments. In Singing Red, the KMSKA explores their vermilion reds, intense blues and bright yellows, and the role that this fresh visual language played within the greater artistic picture.

The fact that the museum houses the largest collection of the three masters provides an excellent starting point for this original collection presentation in the temporary exhibition spaces. Complemented by a selection of targeted top loans, the exhibition aims to teach the public to look at modern art following the lively rhythm of colour.

It was no coincidence that Schmalzigaug spoke of the singing red that he and his fellow Futurists wanted to reintroduce. He looked back to the red of Rubens' paintings. According to Schmalzigaug, it was only in Ensor's work that this fullness of colour was fully expressed. Ensor composed his tableaux, the painter believed, with “unlikely chords of colour”.

Wouters was also convinced that red always demands attention and generates emotion. He wrote lyrically about the “vermilion things crawling over the fabrics and objects” in the early modern paintings of Antwerp artist Henri De Braekeleer. In Wouters' compositions, too, bright red touches determine the direction of the gaze.

It is striking that the so-called neurological phenomenon of “chromesthesia”, or the linking of colours to sounds, gained prominence in the debate on modern art at the end of the 19th century. Ensor's paintings were hailed as “symphonies of colour”. The painting of the Futurists is deliberately one of sounds, from music to the noise of the big city. An “optical polyphony” of colours.

A red that sings brings together three oeuvres that were created at a time when colour was all-important. Let yourself be carried away by rhythm, tension and rich pigments.

Book your tickets

Immerse yourself in the color of Ensor, Wouters, and Schmalzigaug. Let yourself be carried away by their vermilion reds, intense blues, and vibrant yellows, and discover how they use color as a powerful means of expression.

Join a guided tour and discover masterpieces and exceptional loans. Your guide will show how Ensor composed “improbable chords of color,” how Wouters directs your gaze with bright red accents, and how Schmalzigaug made Rubens’ red sing once again. Experience paintings that resonate like a symphony of color and movement.

The tours take place on 14, 16, and 17.05 at 13:00 and last 1.5 hours.
A ticket is required, the tours are Dutch-spoken.

As part of KMSKA LATE, the master’s students in Music from the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp take you on a unique musical journey through the KMSKA. Under the direction of Jeroen Malaise, they present a carefully curated repertoire that resonates with the atmosphere and collection of the museum.

The musicians’ diverse backgrounds and nationalities are reflected in influences from a wide range of cultural traditions. Walk through the many museum galleries and enjoy intimate performances along the way that will make your evening unforgettable.

14.05 at 19:00, and 20:00 (ROOM 1.3, Level 2)
Capacity is limited. Once full, it's full.

KMSKA would like to be a brave space and work towards a more inclusive society. In this tour, you discover the museum collection together with a guide and a pair of pink glasses. How do we look at old art with a queer perspective? Which artists played with gender norms? Which paintings show us what was considered modest or immoral? How does the queer community appropriate certain representations of the past?

On this tour, be inspired to look at art in a contrarian way and be yourself! Because why be normal when you can be fabulous?

During Antwerp Art Weekend, the tour takes place on 17.05, 15:00, and lasts 1.5 hours.
The tour is Dutch-spoken, and has limited capacity. Reserve your ticket here.

Inside the KMSKA, you will find historical grandeur combined with a distinctive contemporary volume. They invite you on a journey through time. Stroll along seven centuries of art. From Flemish masters such as Van Eyck, Rubens and Magritte to world-class artists such as Fouquet, Titian, Alechinsky, Modigliani and Rodin. They are a home to revolutionary pioneers and modern iconoclasts like James Ensor. In the KMSKA, you will find the largest collection of Ensor's work in the world. The interaction of greenery and sculptures makes the garden a haven of peace in the neighbourhood and the first museum room.

We kindly remind you that a ticket is required to visit the exhibitions at KMSKA. Get your ticket here.