Bruxelles 1900

The Petit Palais hosts an exhibition devoted to the Brussels art scene at the turn of the 20th century. More than 250 works, ranging from painting to furniture and including jewelry and posters, show how the Belgian capital became a meeting place for the arts.

The itinerary begins with the 1900 Exposition Universelle, when nearly 150 Belgian paintings and sculptures were presented at the Grand Palais. It then moves to the circles that circulated ideas before this Parisian recognition. The posters of La Libre Esthétique bear witness to these exchanges, while 'Des Caresses' by Fernand Khnopff and 'Le Squelette peintre' by James Ensor give two very different faces to this scene.

The shift from canvas to object reveals another ambition: bringing art into interior spaces. Victor Horta's and Henry van de Velde's furniture ensembles dialogue with Philippe Wolfers's jewelry. The itinerary also places these creations in Leopold II's Belgium, where the Congo colonial enterprise already provoked denunciations.

Practical information
• Closed on Mondays, December 25 and January 1.
• Evening hours on Fridays and Saturdays until 8 p.m.