Do you like modern art or would you rather look at paintings by the Flemish Old Masters? In Ghent you will find the past right alongside the present.  Centuries of history and culture go hand in hand here with contemporary liveliness and modern creativity. Each of the museums in Ghent is an experience in its own right.

A wide range of themes such as psychiatry, the visual arts or the city’s industrial past offer something for everyone. The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by the Van Eyck brothers is one of Ghent’s absolute top attractions. Every season, the S.M.A.K. comes up with astonishing international exhibitions at world level. Little children can have great fun in the city’s museums as well. There are special tours for children, discovery trails and creative workshops. There is even a whole museum intended specifically for young children: The World of Kina! 

The Ghent museums

Art galleries in Ghent

Besides its museums and art galleries, Ghent boasts several other cultural gems. Music centre De Bijloke stages more than 120 concerts each season. Arts centre VIERNULVIER, with its art deco café, is a hundred-year-old monument in its own right, with an extensive programme of stage productions and music. If you like street art, you will love the Werrengarenstraatje or ‘Graffiti Street’, where street artists can paint the walls as they please. Or walk the street art route. 

The best example of the link between Ghent’s historic character and modern art has to be the Light Festival. Once every three years, Ghent is the canvas for international light artists. Spectacular light projects grace the old façades and warm up the mediaeval city centre in the depths of winter. 

Art
Arts district
Museum
Street art