In 2027, the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent will organise Belgium’s first-ever exhibition to examine art from the region through an LGBTQIA+ lens. "Queer Belgian Art" will invite visitors to new and unexpected perspectives on 500 years of art, from ca 1400 to ca 1950.

The historically complex links between sexual/gender identity and art will be made visible through a range of themes, including: queer narratives and icons, intimacies, queer networks, fluidity, and modernity. The exhibition follows in the footsteps of international predecessors, but aims to set itself apart through its broad time frame and its focus on works created by artists from the Southern Low Countries.

Many museums and private collectors have already confirmed important loans and it's promising to be a very exciting exhibition. However, it's also clear that much remains hidden. The lives of artists from this region have rarely been examined from a queer perspective, the female voice is often lacking, people of colour seem absent. Several vital works only surfaced thanks to the personal interests of museum workers and collectors - which is to be expected with any queering process.

That's why we're launching a general call to bring additional hidden materials to light. Do you know of work from the Southern Low Countries pre 1950 that could be interesting to approach from a queer lens, or of (potentially) queer artists or works that might have escaped our search? Or are you interested in sharing your thoughts and possibly helping to address these gaps in art history?
Then feel free to contact curator Bart Ooghe at bart.ooghestad.gent!

More information on the exhibition can be found at www.mskgent.be/en/exhibitions/queer-belgian-art.