Gandavensia expanded: donation of Michiel Hendryckx collection

The Boekentoren not only houses an extensive heritage collection, but is also the repository for various artists' archives of creators with strong ties to Ghent. One of these prominent figures is the well-known photographer Michiel Hendryckx.

Since the 1970s, Hendryckx has built up a broad oeuvre as a photographer, including as a press photographer for De Gentenaar and De Standaard. His images for De Gentenaar were already housed at the Archief Gent, now he has entrusted the care for his other archives to the Boekentoren.

Open and accessible

What makes this donation extra special is that Hendryckx, himself an active and committed Wikipedian, is donating his photographs with the explicit intention of making them freely accessible. He has opted for an open licence (CC-BY-SA) that allows this workto be reused with attribution.

The images are undergoing a process of systematic digitisation, which will gradually make them available to the public online. Where legal objections, such as GDPR or portrait rights, prevent immediate online publication, the Special Collections reading room is open for consultation on request.

Over the course of the next year, the remaining material, including the complete digital archive and all slides, will also be added to the collection.

Visit the exhibition 'Schoonheid als verzet'

Michiel Hendryckx's work is available both online and for consultation in the Boekentoren. It can also be admired at the exhibition 'Schoonheid als verzet' which has been extended and runs until 18 January 2026 at Sint-Pietersabdij in Ghent.