- Peter Paul Rubens
Peter Paul Rubens was a prolific seventeenth-century Flemish and European painter, and a proponent of an exuberant Baroque style that emphasized movement, color, and sensuality. He is well-known for his Counter-Reformation altarpieces, portraits, landscapes, and history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects. In addition to running a large studio in Antwerp that produced paintings popular with nobility and art collectors throughout Europe, …
- Dries van Noten
Dries van Noten (1958-) is a Belgian fashion designer. He was born into a family of tailors; his father owned a menswear shop and his grandfather was a tailor. He studied at the Antwerp Fashion Academy where he graduated in 1980. His career as a designer took off in 1986 when he presented his first menswear collection in London, together with five other Belgian designers ("The Antwerp Six"). He currently creates four collections a year (men's and women's, …
- Luc Tuymans
Luc Tuymans (born 1958) is a Belgian contemporary artist, considered one of today's most influential painters. Tuymans was born in Mortsel, Belgium. He began to study fine art at the Sint-Lukasinstituut in Brussels in 1976, and subsequently also studied art history at Vrije Universiteit in Brussels. He first exhibited in 1985. His first U.S. exhibition was at The Renaissance Society in Chicago in 1995.
- Abraham Ortelius
Abraham Ortelius appeared before the end of 1572; twenty-five editions came out before Ortelius' death in 1598; and several others were published subsequently, for the atlas continued to be in demand till about 1612. Most of the maps were admittedly reproductions (a list of 87 authors is given in the first "Theatrum" by Ortelius himself, growing to 183 names in the 1601 Latin edition), and many discrepancies of delineation or nomenclature occur.
- Adam van Noort
Adam van Noort was a successful Antwerp painter and draughtsman in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. He was the teacher to both Peter Paul Rubens and Jacob Jordaens, the latter of whom became his son-in-law. Van Noort was dean of the Guild of St. Luke from 1597 until 1602. He collaborated with Marten de Vos on the decorations for the Joyous Entry of Archduke Ernest of Austria in 1594, and painted numerous small paintings of religious subjects.
- Albert Lilar
Albert Lilar was a Belgian politician of the Liberal Party and a Minister of Justice. Lilar was a renowned lawyer of Maritime and International Private Law in Antwerp, and Chairman of the International Maritime Committee. He was also a Professor of Law at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He was the husband of the writer Suzanne Lilar, and father of the writer Françoise Mallet-Joris (b.
- Patrick Janssens
Patrick Janssens is a Belgian politician, born on 19 September 1956. He is a member of the SP.a and currently mayor of the port city Antwerp.
- Hugo Heyrman
Hugo Heyrman (also Dr. Hugo Heyrman), (born December 20, 1942), is a Belgian painter, multimedia artist. He is a self described theorist of new media.
- Martin Margiela
Martin Margiela (born April 9, 1957 in Leuven, Belgium) is a Belgian fashion designer. He studied at Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts, graduated 1980 and worked as a freelance designer for five years after graduation. Between 1985 and 1987 he worked for Jean Paul Gaultier, before showing his first collection under his own label in 1988. Margiela has a store in the West Village in New York City and also sells at Barneys. In his store, salespeople wear white lab coats.
- Jan Frans Willems
Jan Frans Willems (March 11, 1793 - June 24, 1846), Flemish writer and "father" of the Flemish movement. Willems was born in the Belgian city of Boechout, while that was under French occupation. He started his career in the office of a notary in Antwerp. He devoted his leisure to literature, and in 1810 he gained a prize for poetry with an ode in celebration of the peace of Tilsit. He hailed with enthusiasm the foundation of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, …
- Françoise Mallet-Joris
Françoise Mallet-Joris is the "nom de plume" of Françoise Lilar. She is the daughter of Suzanne Lilar, who was also a writer, and the sister of the 18th century art historian Marie Fredericq-Lilar. Mallet-Joris spent two years in America before going to Paris, France, where she attended the Sorbonne, and where she currently resides.
- Robert Cailliau
Robert Cailliau (b. 26 January 1947) is one of the co-developers of the World Wide Web.
- Erik van Looy
Erik Ludovicus Maria Van Looy (b. April 26 1962, Deurne) is a Belgian film director. In Flanders he is also known as a television presenter. His most famous movies are: *"Ad Fundum" (1993) *"Shades" (1999) *"The Alzheimer Case" (2003), this movie was also released in the United States as "The Memory of a Killer"
- Lionel Of Antwerp 1st Duke of Clarence
Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence (November 29 1338 - October 7 1368) was the second son of Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. He was so called because he was born at Antwerp, Belgium. Betrothed when a child to Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster (d. 1363), daughter and heiress of William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster (d. 1332), he was married to her in 1352, but before this date he had entered into possession of her great Irish inheritance.
- Paul van Ostaijen
Paul van Ostaijen was a Flemish poet and writer. His nickname was "Mister 1830", because of his habit of walking along the streets of Antwerp clothed as a dandy from that year. His poetry shows influences by Modernism, Expressionism, Dadaism and early Surrealism, but Van Ostaijen's style is very much his own. Van Ostaijen was an active flamingant, a supporter of Flemish independence.
- Ambrosius Bosschaert
Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder (Antwerp, January 18 1573-The Hague, 1621) was a still life painter of the Dutch Golden Age. He started his career in Antwerp, but spend most of it in Middelburg (1593-1613), where he became dean of the painters' guild. He later worked in Amsterdam (1614), Bergen op Zoom (1615-1616), Utrecht (1616-1619), and Breda (1619). He specialised in painting still lifes with flowers.
- Jef Nys
Jozef "Jef" Nys (b. January 30 1927) is a Belgian comic book creator. He is mostly known for his comic strip "Jommeke".
- Jan van den Hoecke
Jan van den Hoecke was a Flemish painter of the Baroque period. He was born and died in Antwerp, and was also known as Johannes or Giovanni and van Hoek, van Hoeck, or Vanhoek. He first apprenticed with his father, the painter Caspar van den Hoeck; then worked in the studio of Peter Paul Rubens. Jan’s brother Robert was also a painter. Jan traveled to Austria and Italy.
- Simon Lenski
Simon Lenski is a cello player from Antwerp, Belgium. His main activity lies within the band DAAU, of which he has been a part of since 1992. As a cello player, he is a much sollicited guest musician for other artists and music groups, often together with his brother Buni Lenski. In 2005 he set up a collaboration with Swiss avant-garde cello player Bo Wiget. Together they recorded an album, to be released in 2006.
- Jef Maes
Jef "Joseph" Maes was a Belgian composer. Encouraged by his friend, André Cluytens, he completed his study at the Flämi conservatory in Antwerp. He studied viola with Napoleon Distelmans; chamber music with Albert van de Vijver; and counterpoint and fuge with Karel Candael. When he was 23 years old, he composed his first work, which was a romantic meditation for violin and piano.
- Tia Hellebaut
Tia Hellebaut (born February 16 1978, Antwerp) is a Belgian athlete who used to be active in the heptathlon but now specializes in the high jump event. Hellebaut is being trained by Wim Vandeven at her club, Atletica 84. She was a professional athlete with Atletiek Vlaanderen in the period from 2001 to October 2005. From November 1, 2006 she again became a professional athlete, this time at Bloso. Currently she lives in Tessenderlo.
- Jan Fabre
Jan Fabre (born 1958, Antwerp, Belgium) is a Belgian multidisciplinary artist, playwright, stage director, choreographer and designer. He studied at the Municipal Institute of Decorative Arts and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Between 1976 and 1980 he wrote his first scripts for the theatre and made his debut performances. From 1980 he began his career as a stage director and stage designer: *"Theater geschreven met een K is een kater" (1980), …
- Marten de Vos
Marten de Vos, also Maarten, was a leading Antwerp painter and draughtsman in the late sixteenth century. He had, like Frans Floris, travelled to Italy and adopted the mannerist style popular at the time. He was also highly influenced by the colors of Venetian painting, and might have worked in the studio of Tintoretto.
- Els Callens
Els Callens (born August 20 1970 in Antwerp) was a professional female tennis player from Belgium. She became a pro in January 1990. She has announced that 2005 will be the final season of her career as professional tennis player. Her biggest achievement came in 2000 during the Summer Olympics in Sydney where she won the bronze medal in doubles, partnering Dominique Van Roost-Monami.
- Caspar de Crayer
Gaspar de Crayer (1582, Antwerp - 1669, Ghent) sometimes called "Gaspard" or "Caspar de Crayer" was a Flemish painter. He learned the art of painting from Michael Coxcie. He matriculated in the Guild of St Luke at Brussels in 1607, resided in the capital of Brabant till after 1660, and finally settled at Ghent. Amongst the numerous pictures which he painted in Ghent, one in the town museum represents the "martyrdom of St Blaise", …
- Evi Goffin
Evi Goffin (born 27 February 1981, in Antwerp, Belgium) is the vocalist of the Belgian musical group Lasgo. Also she was the vocalist for another Belgian group called "Medusa", and featured on songs by "Fiocco" and "2 Fabiola". Goffin has been acclaimed as one of the most melodic voices of the dance and trance genres after her performance in "Alone" from the group's commercially successful "Some Things" album.
- Georges Eekhoud
Georges Eekhoud (born May 27, 1854, Antwerp; died May 29 1927, Schaerbeek) was a Belgian novelist of Flemish descent, but writing in French. Eekhoud was a regionalist best known for his ability to represent scenes from rural and urban daily life. He tended to portray the dark side of human desire and write about social outcasts and the working classes.
- Jan Vansina
Jan Vansina (b. Antwerp, Belgium, September 14, 1929) is a historian and anthropologist specializing in Africa. He was first trained as a Medievalist and ethnographer but became known as one of the most prominent Africanist scholars. In his work, he focuses on the history of African societies prior to European contact, and is widely regarded as the foremost authority on the history of the peoples of Central Africa. He has published widely on the subject.
- Jan Leyers
Jan Leyers (b. 1958 in Wilrijk, Belgium) is a Belgian singer, songwriter, and TV personality. He resides in Hove, Belgium.
- Joris Hoefnagel
Joris Hoefnagel (1545 - September 9 1600), Flemish painter and engraver, the son of a diamond merchant, was born at Antwerp. He travelled abroad, making drawings from archaeological subjects, and was a pupil of Jan Bol at Mechlin. He was afterwards patronized by the elector of Bavaria at Munich, where he stayed eight years, and by the Emperor Rudolph at Prague. He died at Vienna in 1601.
- Hubert Lampo
Hubert Lampo was a Flemish writer, one of the founders of magic realism in Flanders. His most famous book is "De komst van Joachim Stiller" ("The coming of Joachim Stiller", 1960), in which a mysterious person, named Joachim Stiller, appears as a redeemer, under circumstances reminiscent of the death of Jesus. Other themes that occur in Lampo's work are the myths of Orpheus and the Holy Grail.
- Theodoor Rombouts
Theodoor Rombouts (1597-1637) was a Flemish painter of the Baroque period, active in his native city of Antwerp. He was a pupil of Abraham Janssens, and became strongly influenced by Caravaggio's treatment of the genre scene of card-players.
- Jacob de Gheyn II
Jacob de Gheyn II (also Jacques de Gheyn II) (c. 1565, Antwerp - Mar 29 1629, The Hague) was a Dutch painter and engraver, probably most known for his work on the 17th century military manual "The Exercise of Armes". De Gheyn received his first training from his father, Jacob de Gheyn I, a glass painter, engraver, and draftsman. In 1585, he moved to Haarlem, and studied under Hendrik Goltzius for the next five years.
- Lodewyk van Berken
Lodewyk van Berken was a mid- to late-15th century Flemish jeweller and diamond cutter, renowned in the industry for inventing the scaif. The device revolutionized the diamond cutting industry and contributed to increased popularity of diamonds. Van Berken was born into a Jewish family in Bruges. His place of work was in Antwerp, where in 1456 he invented the scaif, a polishing wheel infused with a mixture of olive oil and diamond dust.
- Jan de Vos
Jan De Vos was mayor of Antwerp (Belgium) from March 15 1909 until July 21 1921. He stayed on as mayor after the capture of Antwerp by German forces during World War I, and remained in office after the end of German occupation and World War I. Jan Baptist De Vos was born in Dendermonde on February 7 1844. He became a successful trader and entered local politics when he was elected in the city council as councillor on October 19 1890.
- Veerle Casteleyn
Veerle Casteleyn (born March 6, 1978 in Vlaanderen, Belgium) is a Belgian musical theatre performer and ballerina. Her name means 'Feather' in Dutch. She trained at the De Koninklijke Balletschool van Antwerpen in Belgium, and during her training she was in various plays such as: *"Joint Venture" *"Initiate" *"Fanfare" *"The Three Musketeers" (short piece) *"Self Made" After leaving school, …
- Guy Thys
Guy Thys (December 6 1922 - August 1 2003) was the most successful Belgian national football coach in history. Thys was born in Antwerp and started his career in the 1940s and 50s as a football player with Beerschot, Daring Molenbeek and Standard. In 1952 and 1953 he played two matches with the "Red Devils", the Belgian national team. He combined the activities of player and trainer for Cercle Brugge from 1954 until 1958.
- Pierre Ryckmans
Pierre Ryckmans (November 23, 1891 - February 1959) was head of the Belgian colony of Congo from 1934 to 1946.
- Paul van Somer I
Paul van Somer, also known as Paulus van Somer, was a Flemish artist who arrived in England from Antwerp during the reign of King James I of England and became one of the leading painters of the royal court. He painted a number of portraits both of James and his consort, Queen Anne of Denmark, and of nobles such as Ludovic Stuart, earl of Lennox, and Lady Anne Clifford.
- Bobbejaan Schoepen
Bobbejaan Schoepen (born Modest Schoepen, May 16 1925, Boom, Antwerp) is a Flemish entertainer, singer, guitarist, composer, former actor, and founder of one of the most popular theme parks in Europe: Bobbejaanland. As a child Modest Schoepen grew up in his father's smithy. With a few dollars and a lot of powerful work ethic he started his remarkable career in the late 30s doing local vaudeville performances.