A night at the museum

Yesterday evening we spent a night at the museum. Well, several musea.
Antwerp, one of the cities I love to hate, held its annual Museum Night. For a small fee you can visit most city musea between 7 pm and 1 am.
We decided to make a night ou ton the town of it and started with some chinese food just across from the Royal Museum of Fine Arts. Alas they seemed to forget our 2nd course, we were waiting over an hour, so time was slipping by. First we went of to the Photo Museum, the little guide book said there'd be a special exhibition on spy camera's. It was a bit of a disappointment. Two small cabinets with just a couple of A2's with some general info.
There was a very nice exhibition of some British photographers on display. I liked Tom Hunter's work best.
On the top floor some very good work from Geert van Kesteren and his work while he was embedded with American troops in Iraq.
I think it was the most successful edition so far, I've never seen so much people. It looked like I was in the Louvre or something.
In the RMFA it was very hot and sweaty. the hygrometer graphs showed there was nearly a 7% change in the humidity in the exhibition rooms, not good at all for the masterpieces on the walls.
Dr Livingstone accompanied me and he help up pretty well considering he doesn't like (most) art very much.

Dr L: I don't like it
Mrs B: Why?
Dr L: You can't see their faces
(He was looking at Two springs by Gustave van de Woestyne)

Dr L: I don't like it
Mrs B: Why?
Dr L: It's got crosses and holy men and all that crazy religious shit in it
(About 2/3rd of the museum's collection)

Dr L: (upon entering a room) Ugh, this is ugly.
(Proceeds to quick march down to the exit of the Rubens room)

Dr L: Now this I like
Mrs B: Why?
Dr L: It's got all these monsters in them, it gives me something interesting to look at and discover. Shame about the religious stuff in it.
(He was looking at The Temptation of St Anthony by Maarten de Vos)

Dr L: This I like too
Mrs B: Why?
Dr L: I've heard of this guy, I've seen some of his work, he's not a bad painter. Pitty about the religious mumbo jumbo.
(For the record: Dr Livingstone was talking about Jan Van Eyck)

He did really enjoy the behind the scenes look in the Museum's Art Depot and the ongoing restoration of Memling tableaus.
It was too crowded to look at leisure at any paintings, Dr Livingstone needs space and room to manoeuvre. I can't blame him.
The night was a runaway success for Antwerp. Shame the musea never seem to attract a throng of people in the same way through the rest of the year.
We wanted to also see the Museum Mayer van den Berg and the Middelheim but we were short on time. Ah well, a late night culture snack is never bad.