On the 20th of September, Leuven witnessed the glamorous inauguration of M in the presence of no less than princesses Mathilde of Belgium and Maxima of the Netherlands. For the past three years, what now is becoming one of Leuven’s main attractions, was no more than a mysterious construction site hidden by high wooden panels and intended to replace the Vander Kelen – Mertens museum, the city’s previous museum.

The entrance already sets the tone of what the museum philosophy will be. The conceptors gave M a very modern external look but wisely kept the old entrance and its imposing columns. This contrast is again to be found in the artworks the museum withholds. A delicate combination of classic and contemporary art. Digging deeper into the permanent collection of M, one can notice the belongings clearly identifying to one of two eras: The XVth and XVIth centuries late gothic and the XIXth century spread around 8 successive rooms. To the deep religious significance embedding most of the late gothic pieces replies the more social nature of the XIXth century artwork. The portraits of some notable Leuvenaars and Brabantiers reside next to some prestigious masterpieces as Meunier’s maquettes (particularly, the fire-damp blast, 1888-1889) or Lambeaux’s sculptures. Worth mentioning as well are the 14 Alabaster panels of the Saint Anna Retable or the Sedes Sapientia: the collection’s oldest piece, but also and mainly the emblem of the Catholic university of Leuven.

Next to the permanent collection, M hosts several temporary exhibitions, which actually honor two artist: Jan Vercruysse and Rogier van der Weyden.

Jan Vercruysse has imposed himself as one of Belgium’s leading artists. His work of a contemporary nature is spread over 3 rooms. Aficionadas of modern art will most certainly enjoy decoding the subliminal messages hidden in every one of his creations while amateurs of more classical art will stand there clueless in an effort to uncover the meaning of those objects arranged in bizarre ways and patterns.

“The Passion of the Master” is the title of the exhibition dedicated to Rogier van der Weyden, an artist considered by most connoisseurs as the greatest Flemish primitive. Through 8 rooms, the visitor will get to discover some of the artist’s most acknowledged masterpieces. The “Magdalen reading”, the various “virgin and child” and other “crucifixion of the Christ” will be without the shade of a doubt a delight to the eye.

Since nothing less but a thousand words are needed to replace a single visual sight, the readers are invited to personally discover what would certainly not be a disappointment for any amateur art lover. The only negative traits to be mentioned are the audio tour in the English language, which could benefit from further development to reach the level of its Dutch counterpart and the absence of a reduced tariff for students. The entrance fee is of 10 Euros.

Leuven now has the museum it deserves, valuable through the quality of its holdings, rooted into the past but also striving towards the future, positively surprising and incredibly enriching. |