New expo in Ghent !

From 27 November 2025, St Peter's Abbey will host an exceptional exhibition that takes visitors on a journey through the rich visual world of Raoul Servais: The Wonder of

Raoul Servais. 

The exhibition shows how his imagination, technical inventiveness and social reflection add up to a unique body of work that's had an impact way beyond Belgium.

Although Servais was born in Ostend, it is no coincidence that Ghent is paying this great tribute. The city played a key role in his development: as a young student at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, he took his first steps in film here. Later, he founded Europe's very first autonomous animation film department (KASK). For decades, much of his work was created, taught and shared in Ghent. Ghent was a breeding ground, a workplace, a meeting place — and a home base for his artistic quest.

This connection with Ghent runs like a silent thread through the exhibition. In the abbey, you will discover rare sketches, original animation cels and objects, archive documents and, of course, many film clips that bring the evolution of his craftsmanship to life. You will see the daring experiments of his early years, his international breakthroughs, the pioneering Servaisgraphy process, but also the gentle poetry and critical eye in his films.

The Wonder of Raoul Servais is not a classic retrospective. It is a journey through a universe where the familiar and the fantastic meet. It is a glimpse into the workspace of a creator who always remained curious — and perhaps above all: an invitation to marvel anew. 

The beautiful rooms of St Peter's Abbey, where the world premiere of Taxandria was celebrated in 1994, provide a particularly fitting setting for this encounter.

Historische Huizen Gent (The Historical Houses of Ghent)/St Peter's Abby is paying this special tribute to this great filmmaker thanks to the collaboration with the King Baudouin Foundation — which preserves a large part of his work — and Raoul Servais Collection, which manages the rights and actively promotes his oeuvre.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Location : Sint-Pietersabdij, Sint-Pietersplein 9, 9000 Gent

Period : van 27 november 2025 tot en met 31 december 2027

Opening hours : dinsdag t/m zondag: 10u – 18u / Maandag gesloten

Tickets : Check the website of St Peter's Abbey