15.11.2025 - 22.02.2026

Both the title and the wide range of themes addressed by René Magritte in his 1938 lecture La Ligne de Vie at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp evoke a dynamic, uninterrupted line of life, artistic production, and knowledge. This concept shapes the exhibition design as a single continuous line that runs through the galleries, connecting themes and responding to the architecture as a playful backdrop.

The line first appears on the title wall, where a thin white stroke cuts through Magritte’s name. It continues through the doorway and across the gallery walls, dividing them horizontally: blue above, recalling the skies in his paintings, and shades of grey below to mark the chapters. When themes shift within a room, the line moves up or down to indicate the thematic change. Additionally, freestanding walls spread throughout the enfilade organise circulation and are complemented by horizontal vitrines reused and adapted from a previous museum exhibition to match the colour scheme, blending seamlessly into the scenography.

Artificial intelligence reconstructs the lecture in Magritte’s voice, adding a distinct layer to the exhibition. Audio fragments resonate off subtly from the free standing walls, while the full lecture is presented at the end of the route in a separate hall that evokes a period interior. The result is an immersive experience shaped by a balanced interplay of analogue and digital elements — a subtle yet decisive trajectory that guides visitors through a spatial continuum connecting works, ideas, and moments in Magritte’s practice.

Client: KMSKA (Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp)
Location: Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp/ BE
Curators: Xavier Canonne, Lisa Van Gerven
Project direction: Veerle De Meester, Liesje Vandenbroeck
Execution: Chloroform
Lighting: Chris Pype
Art handling: KMSKA
Soclage: Etoile Mecanique
Graphic design: Sara De Bondt studio
Execution of graphic design: Bulle color sprl
Project lead: Olivia De Bree
Photography: Wouter Bollaerts