THE ILLUSTRATION & GRAPHIC GALLERY
Galerie Frits started with an idea from Belgian illustrator Gert Paenen, who wanted to create a place in Antwerp fully dedicated to illustration and graphic art. At the time, we were selling a small selection of prints inside our gift shop, surrounded by many other products. People kept stopping for the artworks, asking questions, discovering artists, and coming back for more. That’s when we realised illustration deserved its own space.
Later, Manuel Miller joined the project, and together we built Galerie Frits: Antwerp’s first gallery fully focused on illustration and graphic arts.
What started as a small idea has grown into a lively creative space filled with carefully selected works from local and international artists. From risograph prints and screen prints to giclée works, linocuts, digital prints, and original artworks, every piece in the gallery is chosen because it has personality, strong visual impact, and a story worth sharing.
But Galerie Frits is not just about buying art for your walls. We wanted to create a place where people can genuinely connect with illustration and creativity. Today, the gallery also hosts exhibitions, workshops, vernisages, drawing sessions, and creative events that bring artists and visitors together in a much more personal way.
Some people visit to discover a new artist. Some come for a workshop. Some simply walk in out of curiosity and end up leaving with a print they can’t stop thinking about.
That is exactly the kind of place we hoped to create.
FRITS GALLERY - KORTE NIEUWSTRAAT 5 - 2000 ANTWERPEN
OPEN
MONDAY - 11 - 18h
TUESDAY - closed
WEDNESDAY - 11 - 18h
THURSDAY - 11 - 18h
FRIDAY - 11 - 18h
SATURDAY - 11 - 18h
SUNDAY - 11 (or 12) - 17h
THE QUIRKY A-TYPICAL GIFTSHOP
Before Galerie Frits existed, there was the gift shop.
The original shop was started by Belgian illustrator Gert Paenen more than seven years ago, inside one of Antwerp’s historic cathedral houses. These narrow little buildings, tucked against the back of the cathedral, are around 400 years old. Crooked walls, uneven floors, tiny corners and all, the space quickly became part of the charm.
From the beginning, the idea was never to create a typical souvenir or gift shop. Instead, Gert wanted to build a place filled with objects that felt personal, local, creative, and genuinely fun to discover.
Inside the shop you’ll find a mix of locally made products, Belgian specialties, independent design, illustration, and carefully selected vintage pieces from the 1950s to the 1980s. From Antwerp art prints, handmade ceramics, natural soaps, and screen prints to locally brewed beers, Belgian chocolates, t-shirts, tea towels, and one-of-a-kind vintage finds, everything is chosen with the same love for colour, character, and visual culture that later inspired the gallery itself.
Over the years, the gift shop became a place people kept returning to. Not only to buy gifts, but to explore, look around, and discover things they wouldn’t easily find elsewhere.
That spirit still defines everything we do today.
FRITS GIFTSHOP - SINT-PIETERSTRAAT 5 - 2000 ANTWERPEN
OPEN
MONDAY - 11 - 18h
TUESDAY - closed
WEDNESDAY - 11 - 18h
THURSDAY - 11 - 18h
FRIDAY - 11 - 18h
SATURDAY - 11 - 18h
SUNDAY - 11 (or 12) - 17h