Program
Sunday, 15 March 2026
| 15:00-16:30 | Optional excursions (see this page for more information): |
| 1 – Boat tour through Ghent’s historic center | |
| 2 – Nineteenth-century art at the Museum of Fine Arts (MSK) with Johan De Smet, Department Head of Collections, MSK | |
| 3 – City walk with Jan Dumolyn, Professor of Medieval History, Ghent University | |
| 17:00-19:00 |
Registration and opening reception
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Monday, 16 March 2026
Plenary session at the Museum of Fine Arts (MSK), Ghent
Congress chair: Hanna Klarenbeek, Curator of Paintings, Prints and Drawings at Paleis Het Loo in Apeldoorn
Congress theme: Telling Her Story – Female Creators, Collaborators and Collectors
| 08:30 – 09:00 | Registration |
| 09:00 – 09:05 |
Welcome by the (interim) Director of the MSK
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| 09:05 – 09:15 |
Introduction to the theme by the congress chair
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| 09:15 – 09:40 | Lecture by Katlijne Van der Stighelen, Professor Emerita, University of Leuven |
| 09:40 – 10:05 |
Lecture by Judith Noorman, Associate Professor of Early Modern Art History, University of Amsterdam
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| 10:05 – 10:20 |
Introduction to the exhibition ‘Unforgettable. Women Artists from Antwerp to Amsterdam, 1600-1750’ by Frederica Van Dam, Curator of Old Masters, MSK
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| 10:20 – 10:50 |
Coffee and tea break
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| 10:50 – 11:40 |
Plenary visit to the exhibition ‘Unforgettable. Women Artists from Antwerp to Amsterdam, 1600-1750’
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| 11:45 – 12:10 |
Lecture by Andaleeb Badiee Banta, Andrew W. Mellon Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
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| 12:10 – 12:30 |
Questions, remarks and discussion led by the congress chair
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| 12:30 – 13:40 |
Lunch and free time to visit the permanent collection
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| 13:40 – 14:40 |
Case studies on the congress theme
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1. Catharina van Hemessen: Fact, Fiction and Flemish Brushwork by Maarten Bassens, Curator, Snijders&Rockoxhuis, Antwerp
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| 2. At Home in the 17th Century – Women’s Stories and the Use of Objects by Femke Diercks, Head of the Decorative Arts Department, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam | |
| 3. Women’s Business/Business Women by Veronique Van de Kerckhof, Head of Collections and Historic House Curator, Museum Plantin-Moretus/Prentenkabinet, Musea Antwerpen | |
| 4. Female Donors: How Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Is Recovering Overlooked Contributions to the Collection by Rosie Razzall, Curator of Drawings, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam | |
| 5. Beyond Piety. Beguines and Female Cultural Agency in the Low Countries by Niels Schalley, Curator, Museum Hof van Busleyden, Mechelen | |
| 14:40 – 14:55 |
Questions, remarks and discussion led by the congress chair
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| 14:55 – 15:00 |
Closing of the day by the congress chair
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| 15:45 – 17:15 | In-depth study visits (see this page for more information): |
| 1 – MSK: Visit to the permanent collection with Candice Van Heghe and Inez De Prekel | |
| 2 – MSK: Restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece with Hélène Dubois | |
| 3 – Saint Bavo’s Cathedral and the Ghent Altarpiece | |
| 4 – STAM – Ghent City Museum with Wout De Vuyst | |
| 5 – City palaces: Hotel d’Hane Steenhuyse and Huis Arnold Vander Haeghen | |
| 6 – St Nicholas’ Church and St Michael’s Church | |
| 7 – Small Beguinage Our Lady ter Hoyen and Church of the Presentation of Our Lady with Sarah Moran | |
| 19:00 – 22:00 |
Congress dinner at De Oude Vismijn |
Tuesday, 17 March 2026
Members’ meeting at STAM – Ghent City Museum
Congress chair: Adam Eaker, Howard Marks Curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
| 09:30 – 09:40 | Opening of the day |
| 09:40 – 09:55 | Word from the Director of CODART |
| 10:00 – 11:00 |
Speakers’ Corner
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| 11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee and tea break |
| 11:30 – 12:30 | Room for Debate |
| 12:30 – 12:35 | Closing of the day by the congress chair |
| 12:35 – 15:00 | Lunch at your own leisure and time to travel to locations of the in-depth study visits |
| 15:00 – 16:30 | In-depth study visits (see this page for more information): |
| 1 – MSK: Visit to the permanent collection with Candice Van Heghe and Inez De Prekel | |
| 2 – MSK: In-depth visit to the exhibition ‘Unforgettable. Women Artists from Antwerp to Amsterdam, 1600-1750′ with Frederica Van Dam | |
| 3 – Saint Bavo’s Cathedral and the Ghent Altarpiece | |
| 4 – STAM – Ghent City Museum with Wout Devuyst | |
| 5 – St Nicholas’ Church and St. Michael’s Church | |
| 6 – Castle of the Counts (Gravensteen) | |
| 7 – St. Peter’s Abbey and Our Lady of St Peter’s Church | |
| 8 – Ghent University: special collections and Boekentoren (tbc) | |
| 17:00 – 18:30 |
Farewell drinks at Ghent City Hall, offered by the City of Ghent
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| End of Program |
Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Optional program CODART 27
| Full day |
Full-day excursion to the Castle of Loppem and Bruges. Please find more information here. |
The program is also available as a PDF-file (file opens in new tab).