Recto: dichtgevouwen onder de cover
Recto: Back
Recto: Cover
KINGDOM OF BELGIUM
Two sculptures, one made of granite and
terra cotta by Pierre Culot (1938-2011)
and the other the white-painted billboard
Damaged by Vincent Meessen (1971-), adorn
the garden of Egmont Palace. The first arrived at the initiative of former Minister of
Foreign Affairs Louis Michel, and the second
at the request of his successor at the Foreign
Ministry, Karel De Gucht.
Federal Public Service
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Trade and
Development Cooperation
Art@
Egmontpalace
The piece by Pierre Culot originates from the
exhibition that was held in the public section of Egmont Park in 2000. Together with
Damaged, it fits in nicely with the sculpture
Peter Pan and the poetic corner that is devoted to Marguerite Yourcenar (1903-1987).
KINGDOM OF BELGIUM
Federal Public Service
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Trade and
Development Cooperation
6 pagina’s wikkelvouw
Verso: 1 (links, achterzijde cover)
Verso: 2 (center, achterzijde Recto Achterkant)
Even from the outside, one gets the sense
that Egmont Palace contains highly treasured works of art. Most people will recognise the right-hand wing of the building
from watching the news. Belgian ministers,
along with countless numbers of senior officials from around the world, regularly shake
hands with each other with this façade in
the background.
Above on the first landing stands the sculpture Bacchus and Ariadne from 1800, and on
the first floor is Cupid and Psyche, from 1821.
They were carved from French stone by Gilles
Lambert Godecharle (1750 -1835) and were inspired by Antonio Canova (1757-1822). These
pieces are on long-term loan from the Royal
Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels.
High up in the vestibule, above the Staircase
of the Ambassadors, hang five large 17th-century tapestries from Brussels. Four of them
come from the series The Four Continents,
namely Europe, Africa, America and Asia.
They were designed on cardboard by Ludwig
Van Schoor (1666-?) and woven in the studio
of Judocus De Vos (1661-1734). The fifth tapestry, which hangs in the large niche, comes
from the series The Dressage of the Horse,
also known as The Riding School. A second
tapestry from this series hangs in the Hall
of Mirrors. The ceiling in the vestibule with
the trompe l’oeil of clouds was painted by
Charles-Léon Cardon (1850 -1920).
In the vestibule, it is the majestic Staircase
of the Ambassadors that first catches the
eye. Here stand six busts of Roman emperors, four of them in a niche and two on a
pedestal. These pieces are on long-term loan
from the Royal Museums of Art and History;
four of them have been on display here since
1974. The two 18th-century sculpture groups
situated below, The Abduction of Proserpina
from 1712 and The Abduction of the Sabine
Virgins, were made by Pierre Denis Plumier
(1688-1721). He derived inspiration from the
monumental sculpture groups in the gardens
of Versailles, among them The Abduction of
Proserpina by François Girardon (1628-1715).
Two portraits adorn the antechamber, which
is also known as the Red Salon: one of King
Leopold I (1790 -1865) and one of his second
wife, Louise-Marie (1812 -1850). The latter is
the work of neo-classicist artist Fanny GeefsCorr (1807-1883), who painted mainly historical scenes and figures.
Verso: 3 (rechts, achterzijde center)
The Tapestry Room is graced
by five Brussels tapestries
that date from roughly 1580
and come from the series
Tristan and Isolde, namely:
Isolde finds the Sword,
Isolde on Horseback, The
Walk of Tristan and Isolde,
Tristan fights the Dragon
and Isolde and an unidentified Person. The sixth tapestry from the series, Tristan
and Lancelot, hangs in the
minister’s study in Egmont
Palace, and the seventh is
housed in the Museum of
the City of Brussels. Also
worth mentioning is the
bronze
sculpture
group
Elephant attacked by two
Tigers, which was provided
on a long-term loan in 1973
by the Royal Museums of Art
and History.
In addition to the abovementioned tapestry from
The Riding School, the Hall
of Mirrors, or Ballroom,
also contains two others:
Wedding
Banquet
and
Orpheus Playing to the
Animals, both woven in the
17th century in Antwerp.
The Blue Salon, a small
room right next to the Hall
of Mirrors, is a showcase
for contemporary art: two
drawings from the series
Symbolic Violence by Tinka
Pittoors; Birdcage, acrylic
on paper, by Tina Gillen; and
Omhelzing (Embrace), a dual
clay sculpture by Risa Tsuda.
Copyright pictures: © KIK-IRPA, Brussels
6 pagina’s wikkelvouw