MoMu Talk: Geert Bruloot & Oscar van den Boogaard

Co-curator Geert Bruloot and writer Oscar van den Boogaard meet at MoMu for an in-depth conversation, moderated by literary journalist Jelle Van Riet, around the exhibition The Antwerp Six and the publication of two new books.

In this MoMu Talk, Bruloot and Van den Boogaard explore the origins, impact and lasting significance of the Antwerp Six, each from their own perspective: curatorial and literary. The conversation is moderated by Jelle Van Riet. A book signing will follow.

As co-curator of The Antwerp Six exhibition, Geert Bruloot contributed to a layered and richly textured portrait of the designers who put Belgian fashion firmly on the international map. Accompanying the exhibition is an extensively illustrated catalogue of nearly 400 pages, published by Hannibal. The Antwerp Six includes contributions by Tim Blanks, Romy Cockx, Kaat Debo, Angelo Flaccavento and Eugene Rabkin, and will be available from the end of March 2026 in both Dutch and English editions.

In The Six – The Untold Story of the Antwerp Six, writer Oscar van den Boogaard reconstructs the rise and inner dynamics of the Six through intimate conversations with the designers and those closest to them. He weaves their memories and experiences into a singular collective biography. The book is published by Pelckmans and will be released in Dutch in March 2026, with the English translation following in June 2026.

Geert Bruloot is a curator, retailer and pioneer of Belgian fashion. In 1983, he co-founded the avant-garde shoe boutique Coccodrillo in Antwerp, followed by Louis in 1986, dedicated exclusively to Belgian designers. He played a key role in launching the Antwerp Six and shaping Antwerp as an international fashion capital. He later helped establish the Flanders Fashion Institute, curated exhibitions on fashion and design, and is the author of Footprint. The Track of Shoes in Fashion (2015). He remains closely involved with MoMu projects and exhibitions.

Oscar van den Boogaard is an acclaimed novelist and essayist whose extensive body of work has been widely translated and shortlisted for major literary prizes. De Standaard and Vrij Nederland have hailed him as one of the defining voices of his generation. Le Monde wrote: “Oscar van den Boogaard creates a compelling, exquisite and endlessly surprising universe.” He divides his time between Antwerp, Berlin and Southern Italy.

Jelle Van Riet is a freelance literary journalist. She writes for De Standaard, regularly appears as an interviewer and moderator, and has served on several literary juries. She is the driving force behind Rietepetite, a non-profit organisation that develops imaginative projects rooted in high-quality (children’s) literature and poetry. Van Riet lives and works on a mountain in Italy’s Piedmont region.