Jean-Michel Othoniel Transforms Brussels' Villa Empain With 30 Years of Work

The Boghossian Foundation's Villa Empain, the restored Art Deco mansion on Avenue Franklin Roosevelt in Ixelles, is hosting Jean-Michel Othoniel's first major exhibition in Brussels.

Three decades of encounters

The show combines sculptures, installations and intimate watercolours, tracing three decades of the French artist's travel, encounters and artistic wonder. Othoniel is internationally known for glass and metal works that draw on notions of beauty, memory and enchantment, and the exhibition gathers a broad span of his practice under one roof.

The setting adds to the appeal. Villa Empain is one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in Brussels, and its symmetrical halls and central pool provide a distinctive backdrop for contemporary art. The Boghossian Foundation has built a reputation for exhibitions that place dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures at their centre.

A second show on heritage under threat

Alongside the Othoniel exhibition, the villa is presenting 'Shape of Absence', an exhibition addressing the heritage tragedy that has unfolded in Syria since 2011. The pairing gives visitors two contrasting experiences in a single visit, one celebrating artistic wonder and the other reflecting on loss and the destruction of cultural heritage.

With its run continuing into October, the exhibition is among the longer-lasting of the season's contemporary shows, though its location in a residential part of Ixelles rewards a planned visit. Opening hours and ticketing are published by the foundation. For visitors exploring the city's Art Deco heritage, the villa is a destination in its own right, quite apart from the art on show inside.