PRACTICAL

From Romestraat to the Venetian Galleries and back

In January 2025, Mu.ZEE closed the doors of its well-known main building in Ostend’s Romestraat for a thorough three-year renovation.

During this period, Mu.ZEE remains active—not only in its own Permekemuseum in Jabbeke and the Peiremuzee in Knokke-Heist, but also through exhibitions in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Drogenbos, and Koksijde.

In Ostend itself, Mu.ZEE takes up temporary residence in the stately Venetian Galleries, designed by Henri Maquet and built between 1900 and 1903. Here, Mu.ZEE presents the best of what it has to offer: imaginative Belgian art from 1880 to tomorrow.

On the Ostend promenade, overlooking the sea, parts of the Mu.ZEE collection are displayed across three zones. The gallery hosts four consecutive thematic exhibitions. In the large hall, the focus is placed each time on one artwork, artist, archive, or ensemble. At the rear of the hall, an active depot offers a behind-the-scenes look at museum operations and the collection itself. In a permanent experimental setup, Mu.ZEE will spend the next three years exploring and showcasing the impact of light on different materials, as it reflects on future exhibition strategies for its reopening in 2028.

A brand-new exhibition scenography was created for this temporary location by Theo De Meyer, Laura Muyldermans, and Yuichiro Onuma.

Location from 28.06.2025
Venetian Galleries
Seafront corner / Parijsstraat
Ostend

Discover the exhibition "It’s a Sunday on th Sea!"