Guided Visit to the Villa Empain
ATTENTION!
Visit rescheduled at 2:00 p.m.
The ACB has planned a very special visit to the Villa Empain, one of the most beautiful Art Deco jewels in Brussels. Commissioned in 1930 by the 21-year old Baron Louis Empain as his private residence, and built by the Swiss architect Michel Polak, the villa has had a colorful history. In 1937, the baron donated it to the Belgian State with the intention of creating a museum of decorative and contemporary art. Unfortunately, it was requisitioned during World War II by the Germans, and then by the Allies. It later served as the Soviet embassy, and even as a home to the Belgian TV station RTL.
After languishing in disrepair for a number of years, the 55-acre property was acquired by the Boghossian Foundation in 2007. In the same year it was classified by the Brussels-Capital Region. The Boghossian Foundation has painstakingly restored the Villa Empain and grounds to their former elegance. Indeed, it recently won a European Union prize for Cultural Heritage for the quality of the restoration, as well as for its new use as a center for art and dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures.
The Boghossian Foundation recently opened this architectural gem to the public. Our guided tour will focus on this supreme example of Art Deco architecture, as well as on its history and current purpose.
For those who would like to stay on and have lunch following the tour, there is a pleasant café/restaurant in the former caretaker’s lodge where we could enjoy a meal and share our impressions of the visit.
Event Details
Date: Sunday, September 25;
Time: 2:00 p.m. (guided tour in English lasts 1.5 hours)
Place: Villa Empain, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 67, 1050 Brussels (Ixelles)
Price: €15 for ACB and AWCB members; €18 for non-members
Sign up: Reservations are due by noon on Tuesday, September 20 by email (info@americanclubbrussels.org), online at www.americanclubbrussels.org, or by telephone to the ACB Office Manager (02.219.58.08). Payment to ACB at 427-9195881-44 will confirm your reservation. Be sure to mention “Empain” in the communications section of the virement. Cancellations are possible until noon on Tuesday, September 20. Participants canceling after this time, as well as no-shows, are charged the full cost of the event.
