Take a look straight ahead for a tall, proud brick building with arched windows and vertical white banners marked “FOMU”-this is the Antwerp Museum of Photography, housed right across from the Water Gate and hard to miss as you stroll the spacious square.
Now, gather ‘round-both real and imaginary camera bugs-as I snap you into the marvelous story of FOMU! Picture the year 1911: a massive warehouse called ‘Vlaanderen’ rises from the Antwerp docks, all brick on the outside but boasting an iron-and-concrete skeleton on the inside, thanks to the revolutionary Hennebique system. Imagine the sounds of carts clattering, dockworkers shouting, and ships unloading into this very building.
Fast-forward: the 1960s. The old docks get filled in, and our warehouse no longer has a cargo to cradle. At the same time, over in Deurne, a special exhibition, ‘125 Years of Photography,’ is drawing crowds-so many folks in bell-bottoms and miniskirts craning for a better glimpse of antique cameras and mysterious black-and-white images. The museum curators, along with some real photography fanatics like Karel Sano and Dr. Roosens, become obsessed: why stop at just one exhibition? Why not create a whole museum dedicated to photography? You know, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, but these folks thought it was worth a few million museum visits, too!
After years of hustle, paperwork, and pleading (probably with the occasional shake of the fist and wave of a photo print), the province of Antwerp gives them their wish. In 1986, this warehouse transforms-almost magically-into FOMU, making it Antwerp’s official temple for everything photographic, from old daguerreotypes to the latest digital masterpieces. The vaults fill up fast. Today, FOMU’s collection is jaw-dropping: around three million items! I’d say it’s the largest selfie collection in Belgium, if only cameras back then could take selfies!
The museum isn’t just about images, though-the collection includes over 23,000 pieces of camera equipment. From bizarre early contraptions that look like something out of a mad scientist’s lab to the stylish classics everyone wishes their grandparents had stashed away, you’ll find it all here. There’s even a special connection to Agfa-Gevaert, the legendary Belgian photographic company, whose archives and treasures now live within these walls.
FOMU loves to mix things up. Each visit means brand-new exhibitions showcasing everything from iconic international artists to rising Belgian stars, whether their focus is the gritty, the glamorous, or the goofy. Want to see the work of Ai Weiwei, August Sander, or even the first non-binary artist exhibited here in 2018? You’re in the right place.
Of course, all photographic exploration makes people hungry-for knowledge and for snacks. You’ll find a museum café buzzing with chitchat, a shop filled with books that could tip your bookshelf, and a library holding more than 43,000 volumes, from ancient tomes on early shutterbugs to the hottest contemporary releases. The library even underwent a renovation in 2018-more space, better access, and, hopefully, fewer complaints about people hogging all the best photo books!
But wait, there’s a twist in the tale: the museum's own cinema, once known as Cinema Zuid, became Cinema Lumière in 2019, showing everything from cutting-edge films to classics, sometimes in perfect harmony with the exhibitions next door.
Don’t leave without pondering the building’s biggest innovation: the Lieven Gevaert Tower. Built in 2016 and named after the legendary Belgian photo industrialist, it’s the first climate-neutral depot of its kind in Europe-an eco-fortress for fragile negatives, precious prints, and those cameras that look like they’d be better at making coffee than taking photos.
So, whether you’re here to admire gallery walls packed with iconic images, nerd out on centuries-old cameras, or just relax with a coffee and watch an arty film, FOMU has a little something for everyone. Alright, say cheese… actually, hold that smile! We’re not done yet-ready for the next stop?
Exploring the realm of the cinema lumière, buildings or the collection? Feel free to consult the chat section for additional information.
