Art x Gender: Seeing Gender Differently in the Old Masters’ House

In a city where rainbow crossings and queer festivals already color the streets, Brussels now invites you to rethink gender inside one of its most traditional institutions. “Art x Gender” at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium turns the Old Masters Museum into a space where stereotypes are unpacked, challenged, and gently pulled apart – a perfect stop for LGBTQ+ visitors who want more than just representation on a wall.

The exhibition, running until 19 April 2026 at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in central Brussels, asks one simple but powerful question: how have artworks helped build – or dismantle – the idea of what a “real man” or a “real woman” should be? Through a new display, the museum looks at images of the “virile, brutal man”, the “gentle, maternal woman”, or the “temptress, sinner, guilty woman”, showing how these clichés are deeply rooted in the collective imagination and have been relayed for centuries through painting and sculpture. You can find all practical information and tickets on the museum’s website: https://fine-arts-museum.be/en/exhibitions/art-x-gender.​

Around thirty works from the 16th to the 20th century are brought together for this focus display, from Lucas Cranach to Roger Raveel, with names like Fernand Khnopff, Cécile Douard, Pierre Bonnard, Marie Laurencin, Jane Graverol, Anna Staritsky, Arman and others. Some works, including pieces by women artists who have long remained in the shadows of the collection, are shown for the first time. For queer and questioning visitors, this is a chance to look again at “canonical” images and ask: who gets to be seen as powerful, desiring, creative – and who is reduced to muse, mother, or moral warning?

Curated within the “Collections in Question” program, Art x Gender does not isolate gender issues in a single room: it uses one dedicated space as a starting point and then sends visitors back into the permanent galleries with a guided route and new questions in mind. The museum has also developed a participatory offer aimed especially at 15–20-year-olds, encouraging school groups and young people to discuss how gender norms still shape our bodies, relationships and futures. This approach aligns with the museum’s broader ambition to become more anchored in society, more open, and more aware of the narratives it transmits – a shift that will resonate with many LGBTQ+ visitors used to negotiating with institutions that were not built for them.​

If you want a queer take before you go, Brussels LGBTQ+ magazine KET has published an in‑depth feature on the show, framing it as an opportunity for us to “see ourselves in the masters’ house”: https://ket.brussels/2025/11/18/art-x-gender-seeing-ourselves-in-the-masters-house. For dates, times and guided tours, you can also check the Brussels Museums agenda listing: https://www.brusselsmuseums.be/en/agenda/art-x-gender. Whether you come alone, with a date or with your youth group, Art x Gender is one of those exhibitions where you might leave having looked at old paintings – and at your own gender story – with entirely new eyes.

​Practical info and useful links

• Dates: Until April 19, 2026
• Location: Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Old Masters Museum, 3 Rue de la Régence, 1000 Brussels
• Admission: Included with a general ticket (€10)
• Official museum site & tickets: fine-arts-museum.be/en/exhibitions/art-x-gender​
• Queer Brussels perspective: KET Magazine – Art x Gender feature​
• Listing at Brussels Museums: brusselsmuseums.be/en/agenda/art-x-gender​

This critical exhibition is supported by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles as part of the “Alter Égales” project, showing the museum’s commitment to a more open, inclusive future.​