exhibition the Ghent altarpiece revealed ! 2012–2017 ‘from tree trunk to altarpiece’ 10 September 2014–spring 2015 Vrouwebroersstraat 6 (Patershol), 9000 Gent tel. +32 (0)9 269 29 10 [email protected] open from 10 am to 5 pm (last entry at 4.30 pm) admission 2 euro, combination ticket 12 euro www.caermersklooster.be | www.facebook.com/caermersklooster the GHENT ALTARPIECE revealed ! Ca e r m e rs kl o o s te r each time a discovery... Restoration of The Ghent altarpiece The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK/IRPA Brussels) is currently restoring the altarpiece known as The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, painted by the brothers Van Eyck, at the Ghent Museum of Fine Arts (MSK). Visit the exhibition, which consists of three parts, documenting ‘the most important restoration project of this century’, at the Caermersklooster Provincial Cultural Centre. 1. The Ghent altarpiece revealed ! permanent exhibition Exceptional fragments of film, x-radiographs, drawings, works of art, instruments and models reveal the “earthly” aspects (wooden support, the way layers of paint structure are built up, etc.) and the “heavenly” dimension of the polyptych. At the same time, the “history” and “various studies” devoted to this masterpiece are explained in a way never seen before. The showstopper of the exhibition is a full-size reconstruction of the altarpiece, which reveals its underlying and preparatory drawings. The catalogue The Ghent altarpiece revealed ! can be purchased for 10 euro 2. Watch the restoration of the Ghent altarpiece as it happens ! The Ghent altarpiece revealed ! from tree trunk to altarpiece Monitoring the restoration of the Ghent altarpiece Caermersklooster Provincial Culture Centre Lode Van Pee, conservator Vrouwebroersstraat 6, 9000 Gent tel. +32 (0)9 269 29 10 [email protected] www.caermersklooster.be www.facebook.com/caermersklooster opening times Daily from 10 am to 5 pm (last entry at 4.30 pm) closed Mondays, 24, 25, 31/12 and 01/01 admission 2 euro/person Free for visitors up to age 12/CityCard Ghent/ combination ticket 12 euro, entrance to all 3 locations (Saint Bavo’s Cathedral, the Museum of Fine Arts (MSK) and the Caermersklooster) guided tours available on request from Gandante tel. +32 (0)9 375 31 61 +32 (0)479 51 52 42 [email protected] - www.gandante.be Gentse Gidsen tel.+32 (0)9 233 07 72 [email protected] - www.gentsegidsen.be Ghent-authentic tel. +32 (0) 498 10 99 61 [email protected] www.ghent-authentic.com Acknowledgements R.P. Ludo Collin, Prof. Emeritus Anne Van Grevenstein-Krüse, Christina Ceulemans, Dr Annick Born, Prof. Dr Maximiliaan Martens, Prof.Dr. Ron Spronk, The Getty Foundation and everyone that contributed to the exhibitions In partnership with The Cathedral Wardens, KIK/IRPA Brussels, Ghent Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent University, the Provincial Heritage Department and Provincial ICT Department v.u. Jozef Dauwe, Deputy culture, p/a Gouvernementstraat 1, 9000 Ghent photocredits: KIK/IRPA Brussel, Sint-Baafskathedraal Gent, Lukas - Art in Flanders vzw, photo Hugo Maertens, Dominique Provost, MSK Gent edition: August 2014 permanent exhibition Watch the restoration ‘live’ at the Ghent Museum of Fine Arts via webcams. The panels awaiting restoration can still be seen in their normal setting, in the baptistery at Saint Bavo’s Cathedral. Exclusive interviews with the restorers will keep you up-to-date with the latest progress of the restoration. 3. from tree trunk to altarpiece temporary exhibition Despite its eventful history, in material terms, the polyptych known as the Ghent altarpiece by the Van Eyck brothers is generally in a satisfactory state of preservation. This is partly explained by the care taken when this masterpiece was first created, which exemplifies the expertise contributed by various tradesmen, including carpenters. The exhibition takes visitors back to the origins of the altarpiece, from when the wood was imported from the Baltic until the panels were created. It also highlights current research focusing on the panels and frames, as well as the challenges of preserving and restoring the latter.