The exhibition takes a closer look on the evolution of image culture from the Middle Ages until now, using masterpieces from the prestigious art collections in Antwerp. The economical success from the Antwerp harbour generates an important turning point in 16th and 17th century art. Not only the rich and clerical order works of art, also the bourgeois class get interested in buying art. A creative boost is the logic consequence. In the exhibition and catalogue the old masters such as Jan van Eyck, Peter Paul Rubens and Jacob Jordaens are confronted with contemporary artists such as Luc Tuymans, Jan Fabre and Koen van den Broek.