The 27th annual CODART congress was officially opened this evening with a festive reception at the Hotel Falligan, a grand patrician house on Kouter square in Ghent. Over the next two days, the 140 participants of this fully-booked congress will attend lectures and excursions throughout the city.

The congress has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Museum of Fine Arts (MSK), STAM – Ghent City Museum, the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Brussels, and the Friends of CODART Foundation.

On Monday, the Museum of Fine Arts (MSK) will host the first day of the congress with lectures, discussions, and case studies on the congress theme: Telling Her Story: Female Creators, Collaborators, and Collectors. In the afternoon, participants are offered a choice of in-depth study visits around the city. These include the MSK’s permanent collection and its temporary exhibition Unforgettable. Women Artists from Antwerp and Amsterdam, 1600-1700. Other options include the Ghent Altarpiece, the special collections at Ghent University, and the Hotel d’Hane Steenhuyse.

During the plenary program on Tuesday at STAM – Ghent City Museum, curators will have the floor for short presentations on current issues in the Speakers’ Corner, followed by a Room for Debate session. The afternoon excursions offer participants the opportunity to visit STAM’s collection, as well as St. Nicholas’ Church, the Castle of the Counts (Gravensteen), and St. Peter’s Abbey, among others.

On Wednesday, participants can join an optional full-day excursion to Loppem and Bruges. In the morning, participants will explore Loppem Castle, home to the Van Caloen collection. The afternoon will be spent in Bruges and will include visits to the BRON research center, the Print Room of Bruges Museums and the Saint John’s Hospital.

See the event page for more information about CODART 27.

We are grateful to all our partners and hosting institutions for their hospitality and kind cooperation during CODART 27. Special thanks goes out to: