Museum Mayer van den Bergh, Antwerp

The Museum Mayer van den Bergh is actually a personal collection of Fritz Mayer van den Bergh, the man who spent his life collecting exquisite and unique artwork. Bergh belonged to an aristocrat family and was destined for a career in diplomacy. An admirer of art from a very young age, Bergh invested in numerous paintings and sculptures. Sharing his interest was his mother, Henriette van den Bergh, who was also responsible for making the Museum available to the public in 1904.

Housed in the most elegant Neo-Gothic house, the museum boasts a rich collection of Northern Renaissance art, as well as artwork from the Gothic era. One of the main reasons the Museum has gained a lot of popularity is the collection of paintings by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, a Flemish painter and paint maker who was best known for his paintings depicting glimpses into the everyday lives of peasants, and breathtaking landscapes.

In fact, the popularization of Pieter Brueghel the Elder is credited to Bergh who was amongst the first to rediscover and generate interest in the work of the artist. The Museum stands to illustrate the keen appreciation and eye for detail that Bergh had, as each exhibit leaves its visitors yearning for more.