Peter Frankopan unveils BRUSK museum's inaugural exhibition exploring Bruges history
- maxwell museums
- 11 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Writer, historian and academic Peter Frankopan has said it’s been “an absolute thrill” to curate the opening exhibition at the BRUSK gallery, Bruges’ brand new museum.
Speaking to me at the press preview of Bigger Picture: Connected worlds of Bruges 900-1550, Frankopan insisted that putting the exhibition together was “not a one man show,” and that the team he’s worked with in Belgium are “just a joy.”
Bigger Picture is a vast blockbuster that tells the story of Bruges’ international connections throughout the Middle Ages. It charts how it became a major hub for global trade, culture and politics, and how at its peak, Bruges was one of the most important cities in the world.
Across five thematic sections, visitors can explore the constant contact Bruges has had with other regions, nations and cultures. These include its links with its North Sea neighbours such as England and Scandinavia, the Mediterranean, and the wider Christian world.
Subscribe 📩 | Get museum news in your inbox with our newsletter
The exhibition is staged theatrically — and clearly a lot of money has been spent for what is the inaugural major exhibition at BRUSK. It has opened alongside a complimentary exhibition by Turkish-American digital artist Refik Anadol, and the new museum has also unveiled a monumental, four-part fresco by Turner Prize-winning artist Laure Prouvost.
Bigger Picture is a fitting first show for BRUSK, which is run by the city’s museums authority Musea Brugge.
The group’s 13 venues — which also include the Groeninge Museum and the Gruuthusemuseum — collectively tell the city’s story, as well as celebrating the region’s most famous artists. The addition of BRUSK allows Bruges’ world-class heritage to sit alongside contemporary art.
Frankopan’s show leans into the heritage, and the Oxford professor has helped assemble over 250 objects and artworks from across the world. There are an incredible 90 lenders to the exhibition, a number far higher than many blockbusters in big capital cities.
Rare loan in Bruges from the Vatican Library
One of the most remarkable loans comes from the Vatican Library. It’s a portrait of Byzantine Emperor Alexios I, who ruled from 1081 to 1118.
It is one of only two known surviving portraits of the Emperor and is part of a 12th century manuscript called the Panoplia Dogmatike. It’s in the show to tell the story of Alexios’ friendship with Robert I, the Count of Flanders, and the ties between the Flemish region and the Byzantine Empire.
Frankopan — who is most famous as the author of the bestselling book The Silk Roads: A New History of the World — says it is extremely rare for the Vatican to loan the item.
“I've worked on this manuscript for 35 years, and it's the first time I've seen it out and about in the world,” he told me as we stood next to the remarkable — and glittering — golden parchment. “It’s a real treat.”
His joy at the inclusion of this object was also apparent in the opening press conference, where he explained that it played a role in first bringing his attention to the Flanders region as a student.
“My first proper connection with this part of the world was when I was a PhD student working on the 11th, 12th, 13th centuries” he said. “I came across references to the Count of Flanders going to Constantinople in the 1080s where he visited and met with the Emperor of Rome, what we call the Byzantine emperor.” And so thus began his fascination with “understanding the worlds that Bruges is connected to.”
I asked Frankopan how he managed to secure such a high-profile loan.
“With all these objects, the issue is not normally lending itself. It's what story are you telling? A bit like, I suppose, if you were to think about your most precious objects, you want it shown correctly.
“So, often with curators and with loans, it's about explaining how that connects. Going through the Vatican and explaining that we're trying to tell the story of Flanders and its connections with Constantinople, and they were very, very generous.”
Other major loans in the exhibition include Hans Memling’s 15th century painting Scenes from the Passion of Christ which comes to BRUSK from the Galleria Sabauda in Turin, and the portrait of the Sultan Mehmet II by Gentile Bellini, which is owned by the National Gallery in London.
Peter Frankopan was "a big force" for securing loans
Museum Brugge Director Kristl Strubbe praised Frankopan’s involvement in securing the lending of such remarkable objects.
He was “a big force” Strubbe told me. “It's so interesting what [he’s added] to our researchers and our expertise, and his connections to get some interesting loans from other institutions.”
Did he jump at the chance to curate the show when they offered, I asked Frankopan. “No!” was his surprising reply.
“Like most normal, sane people, I wondered whether they got the wrong person!”
But he said it came together because of the mutual trust between him and the guest curatorial team that BRUSK bosses had assembled (including Jan Dumolyn and Jo Van Steenbergen from the University of Ghent, and Axel Langer from Museum Rietberg in Zurich).
“I've known Jan, Jo Van and Axel for a while, and they're just a joy. So no, I thought, if there's something that I can say that's going to be interesting, useful and rigorous, then it would be amazing to be involved.
"My first few discussions were: look, this what I would think of doing, if it's not right for you, then fine. But they were both receptive, and also, I've learned lots from my colleagues.”
“It's not a one man show, but it's been an absolute thrill.”
Bigger Picture: Connected worlds of Bruges 900-1550 runs until 06 September 2026 at BRUSK