S.M.A.K. Highlights for a Future

The Collection

Van Cauteren Philippe, Verhoeven Thibaut, Paschalidis Iris, Armstrong Richard

The Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (translated as the Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art and commonly abbreviated as S.M.A.K.), located in Ghent, Belgium, has quickly established a reputation for both a superlative permanent collection and provocative exhibitions since it opened to the public in 1999. The museum's collection focuses on international developments in art after 1945, including works by artists such as Francis Al?s, Francis Bacon, Joseph Beuys, Marcel Broodthaers, Luc Tuymans, and Bruce Nauman. "S.M.A.K. Highlights for a Future" showcases the full range and exceptional quality of the museum's holdings, illustrating some 200 artworks, from well-known masterpieces to less-familiar, recent acquisitions.

About the Author

Philippe Van Cauteren is artistic director, Iris Paschalidis is head of collections, and Thibaut Verhoeven is a researcher, all at the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Ghent.

Richard Armstrong is the director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation.

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