In the shadow of the city’s great, well-known temples to art, Brussels also has a number of hidden gems with interesting and at the least surprising collections. Here is number six of our Magnificent Seven: Villa Empain.
If you’re going to visit the majestic Villa Empain, try and do so on a sunny day. It is worth visiting just to see the light shining in through the huge skylight in its central hall. Not to mention the glitter of the swimming pool in the garden or the shadow effects of wrought-iron patterns on the doors and balustrades. Art-deco motifs of this kind are really hip again, thanks to the recent film version of The Great Gatsby. Apart from the refinement of its art deco, there are also clearly elements of modernism to be observed in the Villa Empain. The result is a building of cool beauty. Built in 1930 and restored to its former glory since 2010, the villa now also serves as a centre for art and for dialogue between East and West. Its most recent exploit is the current exhibition, entitled “Turbulences II”, which contains a series of works of art in which movement and formal change are central and that often interact with the architecture of their surroundings. The exhibition includes big names like Cy Twombly, Michel François, and Bill Viola, as well as other interesting contemporary artists from every corner of the world. First-class!
Villa Empain • avenue Franklin Rooseveltlaan 67, Brussel/Bruxelles, 02-627.52.30, www.villaempain.com, 7/7, 10 > 18.30
Fijn dat je wil reageren. Wie reageert, gaat akkoord met onze huisregels. Hoe reageren via Disqus? Een woordje uitleg.