ArtFactFinders Making the Invisible Visible

Not everything at the KMSKA is what it seems. Hidden behind items in our collection are secrets that are not immediately visible to the naked eye. But they can be detected with the aid of high-tech equipment. Armed with UV lamps, microscopes and specialised scanners, our detective researchers search daily for hidden cracks and damages.

ArtFactFinders hands over to our younger visitors! With our equipment they, too, can inspect works of art, looking behind and even through them.

ArtFactFinders is all about seeing the unseeable. What you can see is just the start. The real secrets lie hidden below the surface. We make children the sleuths whose task is to unscramble our art mysteries. This involves studying paintings and objects layer by layer. But that in itself is not enough. Our researchers must use all their creativity and curiosity to discover how artists made their work of art or how a picture came to be damaged. Thinking outside the box and asking the right questions will take the children ever-closer to unravelling our art secrets. But meanwhile the race is on and the clock is ticking!  

The KMSKA is Flanders’ only museum officially recognized as a scientific institution, an aspect that is often overlooked.  ArtFactFinders is a fun, interactive introduction to the art world and to the sort of research carried out by the museum.   

This exhibition is based on a Rijksmuseum concept. The KMSKA worked closely with a group of some 100 children from primary and secondary schools, who served as a sounding board to create ArtFactFinders, the exhibition in which experimentation leads to new discoveries.