Brickmakers, weavers, factory workers, and farm laborers. For centuries, work has formed a central part of human existence. From 31 January until 25 October 2026, visit the exhibition Light over the Factory – A Selection from the People and Work Collection. The artworks show how artists portrayed their vision of the working human being.

Else Berg – Mining Area near Tilleur (suburb of Liège), Belgium

Work shapes our daily lives, our identity, and the way we live together. From the heavy labor in the fields to the precise work in factories. And from artisanal craftsmanship to hard-working industrial labor. The work we do is not only part of an economic system; it also tells a story about our dreams, concerns, and the pride we carry in our everyday lives.

Suze Robertson – Woman with Handwork

Brickworks
In Light over the Factory, you will see how artists depicted the transition from artisanal labor to large-scale industry. From brickworks to home-based industries, and from mining regions to shipyards, the exhibition brings together paintings, prints, drawings, and sculptures that capture working life in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Anton van Rappard – Female Worker with Brick Mould

Beauty
The works reveal physical effort, but also the strength and beauty of the industrial landscape. Be amazed by dozens of artworks, including the paintings of socially engaged artist Anthon van Rappard; the powerful portraits and paintings of working women by Suze Robertson; the vivid portraits by painter and lithographer August Allebé; and the remarkable work of Jacoba Surie, who developed her own artistic voice at a time when women were rarely recognized in the visual arts.

Johannes Bosboom – In de Borinage