Traditional art fair with a unique ambience

The Knokke Art Fair has been delighting art fans time and time again for almost 50 years. The fair in the Belgian town of Knokke offers high-quality international works of art and focusses on high-quality but unusual paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and sculptures. For the fourth time, the fair will be held at the Knokke Casino. The building on the beach was designed by Léon Stynen (1899-1990), inspired by Art Deco, and opened in 1930. Since then, the casino has undergone a number of changes that emphasize its special nature as an exhibition venue for the fair: in 1953, the chandelier weighing around 7 tons, which was the largest in the world at the time, was installed in the chandelier hall. In the same year, René Magritte won a competition to design another hall with a gigantic 360° mural measuring 72 meters in length. Two large-format paintings by Paul Delvaux and Keith Haring are also on permanent display in the casino. The Knokke Art Fair, which is described as the »only art fair to take place in an artwork«, runs this year from 10 to 18 August.

For the third time, the fair is presenting its Highlights series, which can be found in the Flemish Hall of the Casino. Twelve hand-picked iconic works of art by famous artists from the collections of various prominent Flemish collectors are presented here separately. The exhibition focuses on a specific theme each time, in 2023 it was sculptures.

Casino Knokke also enjoys a reputation as a special place for art for another reason: The Magritte Hall, which hosts annual exhibitions, was an important exhibition venue for many now-famous artists in their fledgling careers. These include Joseph Beuys, Panamarenko, Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol.