The Print Cabinet has a rich collection of old drawings and prints from Antwerp masters from the 16th to the 18th century. In addition, it collects modern and contemporary work by Antwerp artists. In the storage depots, Rubens, Breughel, Tuymans and Panamarenko lie side by side. With a collection of more than 75,000 objects, the Print Cabinet is among the top fifty most important print rooms in the world.
Every quarter, the Print Cabinet shows a changing selection, based on a theme relevant to the season.
Drawing the City
23.04.15 - 19.07.15
This presentation links in with the exhibition 'Drawing the City'. The selection of seven works of graphic art includes a number of attractive drawings by Jozef Linnig of Antwerp’s cityscape in earlier times.
Antwerp Town Hall
13.02.15 - 19.04.15
On 27 February 2015, Antwerp Town Hall celebrates its 450th anniversary. We present a selection of some ten original prints from the richly stocked depots of our Print Cabinet and Museum.
Christmas
16.12.14 - 25.01.15
The Christmas selection is inspired by the Christmas and New Year period.
Farnese’s Pontoon Bridge
02.10.14 - 14.12.14
Farnese’s Pontoon Bridge links in with the Antwerp Builds Bridges project to commemorate the Great War of 1914-1918.
During the weekend of 3 October a pontoon bridge lay across the River Scheldt, reminding us of the bridge that was built during the First World War to evacuate Antwerp in the face of the advancing German armies.
But this was not the first bridge to be built across the River Scheldt. More than 400 years ago, during the Spanish Occupation, Farnese built a 730-metre pontoon bridge to surround the city and starve it into submission. This ultimately led to the Fall of Antwerp in 1585.
The Museum Plantin-Moretus is displaying a selection of eight prints from the extensive collection of the Print Cabinet until 14 December, enabling visitors to discover the amazing story of the siege of Antwerp and admire Farnese’s impressive pontoon bridge in all its glory.
Sport
01.07.13 - 30.09.13
The Sport selection ties in with Antwerp’s tenure as European Capital of Sport in 2013.
It includes:
- Joris Minne (1897-1988), Tennis Players, burin engraving
- Antoon Herckenrath (1907-1977), Paris-Brussels, linocut
- Floris Jespers (1889-1965), Baigneuse/ Swimming Girl, etching and drypoint
- Rik Wouters (1882-1916), Horsemen, pencil drawing
- Jos Leonard (1892-1957), Boxer, watercolour
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Time
01.04.13 - 30.06.13
The Time selection links in with ‘Stop Time’, the theme of Heritage Day 2013.
It includes:
- Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617), Memento mori, copperplate
- Unknown, Skeleton next to a Tomb, copperplate
- Unknown, Time, woodcut
- Nicolaes de Bruyn (1571-1656), Two Reclining Putti Leaning on a Skull, copperplate
- Wallerant Vaillant (1623-1677), Vanitas Still Life, etching, mezzotint
Reading (Aloud)
01.01.13 - 31.03.13
The Reading (Aloud) selection links in with ‘2013, Year of Reading (Aloud)’.
It includes:
- Leopold Haeck (1868-1928), Reading Children, etching
- Petrus Marius Molijn (1819-1849), Reading Woman in an Interior, etching
- Pierre van Reeth (1832-1866), Bookshop, etching
- Piet Verhaert (1852-1908), The Bookworm, etching
- Rik Wouters (1882-1916), Femme Lisant / Woman Reading, ink drawing
Drawing
21.09.12 - 16.12.12
The selection includes:
- Constant Cap (1842-1915), Young Artist, etching
- René De Coninck (1907-1978), Painter and Model, etching
- Maria Segers (1922-1979), Artists in Paris, etching
- Jacob Neefs (1610-1660), Two Putti Drawing a Sketch, copperplate
Summer
01.07.12 - 30.09.12
The selection includes:
- Floris Jespers (1889-1965), Eté II, etching
- Johannes Brauer (1866-?), Swallowtail, coloured etching
- Juliaan Severin (1888-1975), Dinard, coloured etching
- Adriaen Collaert (1560? -1618), July under a Blazing Sun, copperplate
