Overzicht professionele bewaarplaatsen/en

In Belgium, there are various professional storage and preservation institutions – archives and museums – where artists or arts organisations can deposit their archives.
In this article, you’ll learn:

• What is the difference between public law and private archival institutions?
• Which storage and preservation institutions can artists or arts organisations turn to with their archives?

The various storage and preservation institutions in our country have a certain acquisition profile and typically accept archives that fit within this profile. Can artists or arts organisations simply approach them? In Belgium, there are no theme-specific archives or combined institutions that are aimed purely arts heritage, but arts archives can sometimes fit within a particular archival institution’s profile for socio-philosophical, themed or geographical reasons. For example, a municipal archive may be very interested in an amateur theatre group’s collection in its municipality because it’s a valuable historical source for that municipality's community life. Or an archival institution based on socio-philosophical movements may be interested in an artist’s personal archive thanks to its clear ideological direction. Here, we provide an overview of the different types of storage and preservation institutions that may be suitable for arts archives and collections. We make a distinction between archival and documentation centres, and museums.

Public law archives

Public law archives in Belgium acquire and manage government archives. They are not obliged to accept private archives, but they are tasked with documenting the historical-social development of a specific geographical domain (at federal, provincial or municipal level). In addition to the mandatory inclusion of government archives, the various storage and preservation institutions’ collections are supplemented with private archives that form an important historical source.

Federal level: Algemeen Rijksarchief

The ARA’s 18 repositories ensure the proper preservation of archival documents created and managed by the government. The ARA therefore acquires and preserves archives that are at least 30 years old, from the Burgundian era to the present day, from the central institutions of the national – now federal – government. Companies, politicians and private individuals who have influenced social life can also entrust their archives to the ARA, and the institution manages all these archives and makes them easily accessible to the public.

Website Algemeen Rijksarchief

Provincial level: Provinciale Archiefdiensten

The Provinciale Archiefdiensten (provincial archive services) are responsible for all documents produced or received by the policy organs (provincial governor, deputation, provincial council, provincial clerk, district commissioners), and the various administrative and technical provincial services. In addition to the actual Provinciaal Archief, they also accept a number of private archives.

City and municipal level: city and municipal archives

Most cities and municipalities in Belgium have their own archive service that is publicly accessible. They preserve their city’s or municipality’s government archive. The size and professionalism of these archives vary from municipality to municipality, but most also see it as their duty to accept private archives. The FelixArchief in Antwerp is a fine example, stating: ‘The archives that form the memory of the city should reflect the societal activities of its inhabitants over a continuous period as accurately as possible. Preserving only government archives would give an incomplete picture of the historical-social development of the city. Private archives are therefore valuable and supplementary sources for the city’s history.’

Private law archives

In addition to public law archives, Belgium also has private law archives. They acquire and manage archives from private organisations, associations and individuals. Unlike public law archives, they generally do not deviate from this delineation and will never accept government archives.

Archival and documentation centres based on socio-philosophical movements

There are four archive institutions based on socio-philosophical movements recognised and subsidised by the government.

KADOC - KU Leuven

KADOC-KU Leuven: Documentation and Research Centre on Religion Culture and Society focuses on the evolving interaction between religion, culture and society in Flanders since the second half of the 18th century. Archives related to the Catholic pillar during the 19th and 20th centuries form an important part of their collection and expertise. KADOC’s collection pays special attention to archives of artists, architects and studios, particularly in connection with the Catholic neo-Gothic movement and Saint Lucas schools.

Website KADOC

Liberas

Liberas archive in Ghent is the central archive for the liberal movement in Belgium/Flanders. As a scientific institution, its aim is to collect, preserve and make accessible all source material about the liberal movement from the beginning of the 19th century to the present day.

Website Liberaal archief

ADVN

The ADVN (Archive and Documentation Centre for Flemish Nationalism) in Antwerp archives and studies material related to the Flemish Movement and other regional and national movements.

Website ADVN

Amsab-ISG

Amsab - Institute of Social History is both an archive, library and research centre in Ghent. It collects sources about progressive social movements and material from individuals engaged in these movements.

Website Amsab-ISG

Archival and documentation centres based on a theme

Letterenhuis

The Letterenhuis in Antwerp is the largest literary archive in Flanders. Since January 2004, it has been recognised by the Flemish government as the literary archive for and of Flanders. You can deposit your theatre texts here.

Website Letterenhuis

Kunstenpunt

Kunstenpunt (Flanders Arts Institute) takes responsibility for intensively documenting the practice of arts (visual arts, music and performing arts). They observe the field and context, and register, organise and make accessible artistic and policy actions via their extensive database, library and website. Kunstenpunt is not an archival institution, however, and so cannot accept archives from arts organisations.

Website Kunstenpunt

Conservatory libraries

The libraries of the Flemish conservatories are university libraries, but a large part of the collection is also heritage. This mainly concerns sheet music, but also iconography about music, musical recordings, etc.

• Antwerp
• Brussels
• Ghent

Vlaams Architectuurinstituut

VAi (the Flemish Architecture Institute) is the sector and knowledge institute for architecture, and manages a collection of about 200 archives, spread over more than 4000 metres.

Website VAI

Archival institutions with geographical delimitation

AMVB

The AMVB (Archive and Museum for the Flemish Life in Brussels) ensures – as a pluralistic institution in the Brussels-Capital Region – the acquisition, management, research and accessibility of archives of Dutch-speaking Brussels organisations, individuals and families. It aims to (re)discover the disappearing collective memory of the Brussels Fleming in metropolitan society as an inexhaustible source of pleasure and education. The AMVB does not differentiate based on theme or ideology. It focuses on all aspects of Dutch-speaking (association) life in Brussels, and has a lot of experience with (performing) arts archives: they preserve the archives of the Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg (Royal Flemish Theatre), Beursschouwburg, Ancienne Belgique, Kaaitheater, Zinnema, Dito’Dito, De Parade…

Website AMVB

Museums

Design Museum Ghent

Design Museum Ghent collects Belgian design in an international context. The key pieces in the collection demonstrate the relevance of good design through the ages and its impact on our lives. The collection reflects what is happening in the Belgian and international design world and how designers achieve their results.

Website Designmuseum

MoMu - Modemuseum Antwerpen

Centraal in het hartje van de Antwerpse modebuurt ligt het MoMu - Modemuseum Antwerpen. Het museum beheert achter de schermen een collectie van ruim 25.000 objecten (kleding, schoenen, accessoires...) die echter niet voor het publiek toegankelijk zijn. Wel toont het MoMu wisselende thematentoonstellingen over een ontwerper of modehuis, of over een ander mode-gerelateerd thema.

Website MoMu

Modemuseum Hasselt

De collectie van het modumuseum Hasselt telt ongeveer 18.000 kledingstukken en accessoires die allen samen de geschiedenis van de westerse mode vanaf 1750 tot vandaag vertellen. Het verzamelprofiel is misschien ruimer dan het Modemuseum van Antwerpen, maar ook hier tref je collecties van scenografen of kostuumontwerpers.

Website Modemuseum Hasselt