RACMAS — Research and Archive Center for Monumental Arts — is an independent research and archival initiative dedicated to the study, documentation and public accessibility of monumental art.

Mosaics, murals, reliefs, sculptures, stained glass and other integrated artworks are an important part of our cultural environment. Yet much of this heritage remains undocumented, overlooked, or scattered across local archives, specialist publications and personal knowledge.

RACMAS brings this material together.

We research, document and connect monumental artworks, artists, techniques, places and histories, combining art-historical research with digital archives, mapping, public participation and new technologies.

From individual works to wider histories

Monumental art rarely fits neatly within today’s national or disciplinary boundaries. Artistic movements, techniques, artists and production networks often extend across countries and generations.

RACMAS therefore approaches monumental art as a field of research in its own right—looking not only at individual works, but also at the wider cultural networks and histories in which they belong.

Our projects

RACMAS provides a framework for research projects that investigate different chapters of monumental art history.

Our first major project, The Atlas Sovieticus, documents and maps monumental art across the former socialist world. Other initiatives explore different geographical and thematic fields, from monumental art in Latin America to integrated artworks across Africa and the Middle East, and even within Belgian railway stations.

Each project has its own focus, while contributing to a growing body of knowledge and a shared research infrastructure for monumental art.

Our mission

To research, document, connect and make accessible the world’s monumental arts.

We believe that making this heritage visible is the first step towards understanding, appreciating and ultimately safeguarding it.