[ Villa Empain Brussels ]
24 september 2020
tripping on art in Brussels ~ prologue ~ the Stocklet Palace
the Stoclet Palace (French: Palais Stoclet, Dutch: Stocletpaleis) is a mansion in Brussels, Belgium. it was designed by the Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann, for the Belgian financier Adolphe Stoclet. built between 1905 and 1911 in the Vienna Secession style, it is located on Avenue de Tervueren in the Woluwe-Saint-Pierre municipality of Brussels. considered Hoffman's masterpiece, the residence is one of the most refined and luxurious private houses of the twentieth century
arty-farty.fun's opinion: *****
a hidden beauty. the Stoclet Palace is considered to be one of the best architectural masterpieces in Brussels. the top of Art Nouveau.
one major setback –-> the palace is deemed private property under the jurisdiction of its heirs, thus closed to the public (It is all about the money). shame on the selfish heirs.
tripping on art in Brussels ~ act1 ~ Villa Empain
the Villa Empain is a private house in the Art Deco style in Brussels, Belgium built in 1930–1934 by Swiss architect Michel Polak. it was commissioned by Baron Louis Empain, son of the Belgian industrialist Édouard Empain. since its restoration in 2009–2011, it has been open to the public. Baron Louis Empain (1908–1976) was the second son of Édouard Empain (1852–1929), a respected Belgian industrialist who had spent much of his career in Egypt. in 1930, he commissioned the Swiss architect Michel Polak to build a large house on the edge of the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos in the emerging southern suburbs of Brussels. built between 1930 and 1934, the Villa Empain is organised around a large enclosed courtyard. It was designed in the Art Deco style, and the project aroused significant interest in Belgium where prestigious houses in the style were comparatively rare.
arty-farty.fun's opinion: ****
Villa Empain is one of the most beautiful architectural masterpieces of Art Deco in Brussels. built in 1930, donated to the Belgian state by baron Empain. then acquired by the Boghossian Foundation and transformed into a place of dialogue between the cultures of the East and the West. guarantees the revival of this splendid estate.
tripping on art in Brussels ~ act2 ~ the Boghossian foundation presents "Mappa Mundi"
exhibition from 5 MARCH to 4 OCTOBER 2020, by the BOGHOSSIAN foundation – VILLA EMPAIN, Centre for art and dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 67, 1050 Brussels, info@boghossianfoundation.be, +32 2 627 52 30. open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 11 am until 6 pm.
representation of the world is a practical and scientific necessity. the first explorers discovered unknown worlds, thus allowing their pictorial translation. The cartography was meant to be completed, filled in with details from compiled information, and according to the meaning one wished to convey. maps indeed represent reality, but interpret it by creating an image from multiple, more or less reliable elements. our representation of the world is constantly evolving. current technologies render it extremely precise, helping us see the world differently. nevertheless, this translation into a two-dimensional surface, this fattening out, is an artifice; from the moment they take shape, maps are a testament to an artistic concern which is added to their navigational function.
arty-farty.fun's opinion: ****
created in 1992, the Boghossian Foundation aims to contribute to development and education., devoting itself mainly to the task of helping improve the living conditions of young people both in Armenia and Lebanon in order to encourage a better future for them.
« the youth is the future of a country». now a centre of art and dialogue between cultures of the East and the West, of encounters and discoveries, of shared emotions and wonderment open to all.
« The role of art is to make a world which can be tolerated » William Saroyarty-farty.fun's opinion: ****
Mappa Mundi: a moment for reflection on the state of the world. contemporary artists reinvent and transform world maps. the artists find each map’s potential – not only geographical but also political, poetic or utopian.
tripping on art in @Place ~ epilogue ~ the Café
the Café is situated in Baron Empain’s private salon, a jewel of Art Deco architecture. following in the footsteps of the collaboration with Sang-Hoon Degeimbre and the TERO restaurant, BELI takes over the Café de la Villa. on the menu, a refined, modern and quality Armenian-Lebanese inspired cuisine. the plate, a subtle blend of Mediterranean delicacies, oriental and western flavours, is served in an Art Deco setting combining velvet, exotic woods and precious marbles.
arty-farty.fun's opinion: ****
1 word. exquisite.