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.

The History of the Tupinambá Feather Cloak
This book tells the story of the Tupinambá feather cloak from the collection of the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels. A 16th-century masterpiece of applied arts originating from the eponymous indigenous community in Brazil, its history is part of the story of how museum collections came to be. Its colourful design is stunning, and there is much to say about how it was shipped to Brussels, the research conducted on it, and its past and present connection to Brazilian heritage. The book is the third installment in a series dedicated to a single masterpiece from the museum’s collection.

(Also available in French, Dutch and Portuguese) - €20 in the museumshop
The Wolfers Collection. The story behind the masterpieces
The Wolfers Collection comprises over 150 masterpieces and numerous archives of Philippe Wolfers and his son, Marcel, the leading lights of the Wolfers Frères jewellery business. It is now recognised as one of the most important collections of work by Philippe Wolfers, who is internationally acknowledged as a leading figure of Belgian Art Nouveau, as well as a pioneer of Belgian Art Deco. (2024)

(Also available in French and Dutch) - €7 in the museumshop
Belgian War Lace 1914-1918 : The Collection of the Royal Museums of Art and History
Fifty thousand lacemakers, led by four determined women, worked to keep the Belgian lacemaking tradition alive during WWI. Their endeavours created the distinctive style known as "war lace", with its symbolic references to the invasion and occupation of Belgium. Many noted Belgian artists, two famine-relief organisations, and one future president of the United States played crucial roles in preserving this national art form in the midst of a brutal war.
This catalog documents the Royal Museums of Art and History's collection of war lace. It also recounts the history of the endeavour, the leaders and artists involved, and the symbolism of the designs, as expertly interpreted by Ria Cooreman (Curator of Textiles, Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels) and Evelyn McMillan (Librarian Emerita, Stanford University, California).

(Also available in French and Dutch) - €30 in the museumshop
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
Unfolding Landscapes
Catalogue for the captivating exhibition Unfolding Landscapes where 42 Ukrainian artists working in painting, drawing, sculpture, installation and video present more than 80 works, displayed at the Art & History Museum from 19 July 2022 to 19 September 2022. (2022)

(only available in English) €9 in the museumshop
Les Tapisseries au Musée Art & Histoire, OKV
Un édition de Openbaar Kunstbezit Vlaanderen sur la collection des tapisseries du Musée Art & Histoire. (2020)

€10, uniquement disponible en FR
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
couverture du rapport annuel des MRAH 2019
Annual rapport 2019
Only in FR or NL