Visit us for the full experience. Tantalise all your senses. See the colours featured on the Ghent Altarpiece come to life in magical spectacles. Get carried away by the scents of the flowers and plants featured in the work during the Ghent Floralies. Or better even: taste them in one of the city's top-notch restaurants. Feel the intricate brocade or solid oak wood in contemporary designs. Listen to angelic music from the 15th century brought to life or reworked into modern compositions.
Visual arts, theatre, dance, design, fashion, gastronomy, music and even shopping ... For a whole year, everything in the city will be a nod to Van Eyck and his impressive masterpiece. Come to Ghent.
The Ghent altarpiece belongs in Ghent. Although the van Eyck brothers were commissioned by Joost Vijd and Elisabeth Borluut to paint the masterpiece, it was actually meant for the people of Ghent, who have been able to admire this world-famous work of art in their St Bavo’s Cathedral for six centuries.
Ghent shows its visitors that van Eyck left a mark on the city that is still visible today. After all, the Ghent altarpiece is so much more than just a piece of world heritage. It’s a living icon that continues to fascinate and inspire. Van Eyck’s legacy is omnipresent in the city and is part of the DNA of the people of Ghent. It is therefore not surprising that the proud citizens of Ghent are launching numerous initiatives to celebrate their Ghent altarpiece and their great master Jan van Eyck.
During the theme year 'OMG! Van Eyck was here' the Flemish master not only comes to life in the city, but you can also see, hear and especially taste the Van Eyck year at local shops, bars and restaurants.
More than seventy Ghentish creators have created a product or design inspired by the Ghent Altarpiece. Each and every one of them a passionate artisan who, just like Jan Van Eyck in the fifteenth century, are keeping artisanal mastery alive with the utmost care, knowledge, and patience.
The Van Eyck creators practice a broad range of crafts, leading to a great diversity of unique products: jewellery, hats, floral arrangements, beer, rugs, shawls, handbags, ceramics, glassware… The variety on offer is tremendous. Their exclusive products will be offered for sale in the Van Eyck shop underneath the Belfry.
