Panorama of the Yser
The Panorama of the Yser (120 m x 14.5 m over 360°, or 1800 m2) was painted by Belgian artist Alfred Bastien (1873-1955) and his team in 340 days. It was inaugurated on 6 April 1921 in a circular building along the Avenue Lemonnier in Brussels. The canvas depicts the heroic Battle of the Yser, which took place between 16 and 31 October 1914, when the Yser plain was flooded to stop the German advance.
The panorama was put on display in Ostend from June 1924 onwards. On 15 September 1950 the monumental work became part of the RMM collections. It was taken down in 1982, divided into 14 m x 14 m canvases, and rolled up. Between 2008 and 2011 the pieces were moved, unrolled, thoroughly studied and fully photographed. They are now stored in an external reserve.
