Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels trace their origins to 1801 when Napoleon founded a museum in the former Palace of Charles of Lorraine. Works seized during the French Revolution formed the core collection, returned and expanded after Belgium gained independence in 1830. Today the complex comprises six museums, including the Oldmasters Museum, Modern Museum, and the Magritte Museum. The institution attracts over 700,000 visitors annually, making it Belgium's most visited museum.

Flemish Old Masters dominate the collection of over 20,000 works. Pieter Bruegel the Elder's Adoration of the Kings, Hieronymus Bosch's Crucifixion, and Robert Campin's panels represent the Northern Renaissance. Jacob Jordaens's exuberant The King Drinks and Van Dyck's Baroque portraits show 17th-century Flemish mastery. James Ensor's provocative Christ's Entry into Brussels and Fernand Khnopff's symbolist The Caresses demonstrate Belgian art's continuing vitality. The main building, designed by Alphonse Balat and funded by King Leopold II, opened in 1880.