Art in Ghent

After the coast we stopped off at Ghent and went to the art museum called SMK. The 1901 Baedecker's says that the collection (then in a different location in the city centre: the current collection is in a park opposite SMAK - the contemporary spanking museum) is modest but worth a visit. The 1957 Fodor's guide doesn't mention it but says that Ghent is the Florence of the North, but also like Liverpool and Manchester.

Anyway, we first went to the Café. This was an interesting demo of all that is wrong with the world. The meal was OK, but served by ditzy young waiters in black shirts (always a bad sign) and over-priced. I liked the beer label though. The perfect art museum café would be like an East German canteen or something - fair pricing, solid food, maternal waitresses not fussed by the art scene and more interested in food.

The museum itself doesn't let you take photos so I haven't got any. This always annoys me slightly - taking photos without flash doesn't damage paintings - it simply (possibly) damages income from gift shops (but no postcard collection is comprehensive) - that's just two elements though from a complex argument some of which you can find here http://musematic.net/?p=325

The actual collection is 'OK' though - it's the kind of place to take very slowly and maybe just focus on three or four key works. You can get a preview here (click on English and then click on collections for a kind of timeline) http://www.mskgent.be/