Publications

You have the possibility to order the publications by sending an email to museumshop@kmkg-mrah.be. You can also buy it in the Museumshop at the Art & History Museum, from Tuesday to Sunday. The admission to the museumshop is free.

Pou Hakanononga, Royal Museums of Art and History, 2023, 112 p.
In 1934-1935, a major ethnographic and archaeological expedition to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) was organised by the Musée de l'Homme in Paris and the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels. In addition to the important scientific data recorded, the mission also led to the donation to Belgium of a statue (moai) called Pou Hakanononga, which is now known to be one of the oldest produced on the island. This book tells the story of this astonishing statue, which has been on display at the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels since 1935.

(also available in Dutch and French) - €20 in the museumshop
cover The Cinquantenaire Exhibition Halls and Gardens
The Cinquantenaire Exhibition Halls and Gardens, Snoeck, Royal Museums of Art and History, 2023, 400 p.
The idea of this book is to shed light on the various stages in the construction of the buildings along with their use in the Cinquantenaire in Brussels from 1880 until today. Besides statues and monuments, the history of the major institutions that are housed here are brought to life in text and image. The story of the World Fairs is linked to the history of Belgium as well as daily life in the park today with the help of the many unpublished documents.
Jacqueline Guisset is doctor in the History of Art and author of a range of articles and books.

(also available in Dutch and French) - €50 in the museumshop
Catalogue Tapisseries
The Cinquantenaire Tapestries
Catalogue in English on the collection of Western tapestries at the Art & History Museum.
Written by Guy Delmarcel and Ingrid De Meûter (former curator of the collection), this book is the reference work that specialists - curators of museums, art galleries and collectors - have been missing. The Art & History Museum collection houses 163 tapestries, dating from the end of the 14th century to 1980. This collection, considered to be one of the most important in Europe, comes mainly from the southern Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy and England.

(in English only) - €60 in the museumshop
cover publication Sura
SURA | صورة – Egypt through a Belgian lens, Snoeck, 2023, 248 p.
In the early 20th century, Belgian Egyptologist Jean Capart and his collaborators undertook several voyages to Egypt. With a keen eye for photography, they documented the land on the Nile in all its facets. The Egyptological library of the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels houses this important collection of about 14,000 photographic glass negatives. The more than 200 photographs selected here illustrate these pioneering years of Belgian Egyptology. They simultaneously offer a kaleidoscopic view of Egypt of a bygone era, with dramatic landscapes, ancient monuments, archaeological expeditions and daily life in all its diversity.

(also available in Dutch and French) - €40 in the museumshop
cover catalogue Shin hanga
Shin hanga - The New Prints of Japan 1900-1960, Ludion, 2022, 224 p.
The fine selection reproduced here is mostly drawn from two large private collections, supplemented by works from the Art & History Museum in Brussels and, by way of great exception, items from the family collection of the publisher Watanabe.
Catalogue of the exhibition Shin hanga (13.10.22 - 15.01.23)

(also available in Dutch or French) - €35 in the museumshop
couverture de catalogue Before Time Began
Before Time Began, 5 Continents - Fondation Opale, Lens 2019, 163p.
Before Time Began is the catalogue of a major Australian Indigenous art exhibition, first shown at the Fondation Opale in Lens (Switzerland) and now to the Belgian public in the Art & History Museum in Brussels. As the title suggests, the exhibition focuses on artworks in which Dreaming stories that tell of the creation of the Earth play a vital role. This colourful catalogue provides a beautiful overview of Aboriginal art from the 1950s to the present day.

(also available in Dutch and French) - €35 in the museumshop
The Golden Age of Flemish Harpsichord Making
The Golden Age of Flemish Harpsichord Making: a Study of the MIM's Ruckers Instruments, Pascale Vandervellen, Bruxelles, 2017, 420 p.
Among the great names in the history of harpsichord making, that of the Ruckers is probably the most famous. This dynasty of makers, represented by four generations active in Antwerp between c.1580 and c.1680, exerted a predominant influence in Western Europe. Their harpsichords and virginals, synonyms of extraordinary workmanship, acquired a tremendous reputation that extended beyond European borders and lasted until well after their active period. The envy they inspired was such that it gave rise to large-scale counterfeiting, probably the most significant in the field of instrument making up to then. The MIM owns eighteen instruments considered at the time of their acquisition to be made in the Ruckers workshop. Given the considerable patrimonial interest of this collection, a project centred on its conservation, study, restoration and enhancement was set up. The book sums up this fascinating research and sheds new light on this outstanding heritage. This survey is directed by Pascale Vandervellen, curator of the stringed keyboard instruments of the mim.

This book won the Nicholas Bessaraboff price in 2019, issued by the American Musical Instrument Society!

Available in English - € 59 in the museumshop
cover publication Masterpieces
Masterpieces
Selecting one hundred essential works of art from the collection of Belgium's largest museum: that was the challenge faced by the institution's curators, who chose the emblematic, renowned and intriguing works featured in this volume.
Le pianoforte dans les provinces belges
Le pianoforte dans les provinces belges, Renaissance du livre, 2014, 248 pages
Research by Pascale Vandervellen, PhD in musicology, on fortepiano making in the Belgian regions

Out of stock - only French edition available at the museumshop - € 35
Sax200
Sax200, Editions du Perron, 2014, 134 p.
An outstanding inventor, talented craftsman and excellent musician, Adolphe Sax began making wind instruments following the footsteps of his father, Charles-Joseph Sax. In his workshop, he improved many instruments, and patented their innovative design. Inspired by the initial successes, he launched into the creation of new instruments, which he named after himself: saxhorns, saxotrombas and saxtubas were to enjoy great success. But his most original masterpiece was undoubtedly the saxophone, which he developed in a complete range, from sopranino to sub-bass.

Under the guidance of the curator of the SAX200 exhibition, Géry Dumoulin, the four chapters of this richly illustrated catalogue tell the story of the remarkable inventor. The reader will learn all about Sax, his inventions, his business and his private life. Various lesser-known aspects of his creative activity, such as the medical instruments he devised are treated as well.

Available in the museumshop - € 25
50 instruments insolites
50 master pieces, Renaissance du livre, 2014, 128 p.
This book reveals the instruments of the MIM that have most intrigued our visitors. Through short texts - sometimes anecdotal - and magnificently illustrated you get a glimpse of the treasures the museum holds.

Available in the museumshop - € 15