Antoine Wiertz Museum

Antoine Wiertz trained in Antwerp, Paris and Rome before finally settling in Brussels in 1845. He became known for his spectacular large-scale canvases, often depicting subjects from the ancient world (The Greeks and Trojans fighting over the body of Patroclus, 1844) or dramatic horror scenes (The Premature Burial, 1854) in a mixture of Classical and Romantic styles. However, he was also a talented portrait painter and sculptor.

Inspired by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), whose work he had long admired, Wiertz wanted to establish his final Brussels studio as a public museum. He entered into protracted negotiations with the Belgian government, who, in 1850-1, finally granted his request for a dedicated space and bought enough land to construct a large hall to house his works. In exchange, Wiertz donated his oeuvre to the state, on the condition that they should always remain in his studio museum. Since 1868, the Wiertz Museum has been part of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.