The Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp is closing until early December for a thorough renovation and reorganisation of the collection. Behind the scenes, the kitchen will be refurbished to form part of the new permanent exhibition.
The house where printer Christoffel Plantijn first set foot 450 years ago will be closed from Monday. The renovation will be a challenge for Odette Peterinck, who is in charge of visitor services. “Society is changing, and with it, the stories we want to tell are changing too.”
A few symbolic dates have played a part in the timing of the refurbishment. “The museum is celebrating its 150th anniversary, and it is 450 years since Christoffel Plantijn moved into the building,” she says. “The bedroom will be relocated, and from the reopening weekend on 5 and 6 December, the kitchen will also form part of the permanent exhibition.”
We’re going to tell stories that have been unearthed through intensive archival research
The kitchen is one of the central spaces in the house, she says. “Residents worked in that house; they had arguments there. It was a hive of activity, with people coming and going, including suppliers and scientists. We want to bring that bustle to life.”
The museum is also preparing new exhibits for December. “We’re going to tell stories that have been unearthed through intensive archival research,” Peterinck says. “These stories will give an even better insight into how people lived and worked together in the house.”
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