For the first time, the M HKA will be able to present a permanent collection exhibition with iconic masterpieces from Flemish and international artists. The collection exhibition is free to visit on the ground floor. Permanently installed collection works can also be admired elsewhere in the museum.

The art works are chosen out of the M HKA collection which consists of approximately 5000 works of art. The core of the collection is made up of the museum's own acquisitions and works that have been acquired by the Flemish community. In addition, there are donations and a number of public funds that are made publicly accessible by the M HKA, such as that of De Vleeshal in Middelburg. The collection starts with the post-war avant-garde in Antwerp and Flanders, and uses this epoch as a starting point to gain understanding of the multi-polar world of today and the future.

The M HKA collection is set up around three approaches to art: image, action and society. While generally works cannot be classified exclusively under one of these denominators, they are useful approaches to explore the particularity and complementarity of our collection. Image, action and society are the three axes that together make up the space of a work of art: every performative work has a pictural quality, looking is action and every work of art relates to society. This division, therefore, primarily aims to be a starting point from which the public can interact with the works and create new connections.

The M HKA presents a permanent collection with works by Marina Abramović & Ulay, Dirk Braeckman, James Lee Byars, Thierry De Cordier, Raoul De Keyser, Lili Dujourie, Marlene Dumas, Jimmie Durham, Jan Fabre, Dan Flavin, Jef Geys, Jan Henderikse, Ilya & Emilia Kabakov, Gordon Matta-Clark, Almagul Menlibayeva, Otobong Nkanga, Cady Noland, Panamarenko, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Cindy Sherman, Joëlle Tuerlinckx, Luc Tuymans and Jan Vercruysse.