Before you moan “oh no, not another museum story” and click away from me, let me say that this is more about architecture and somewhat more interactive than a typical museum visit. As much as I love loitering inside a museum on a dreary winter day, I’d much rather peek inside the homes and studios of artists. The voyeur in me loves to stand still in a room and look out the same window at the horizon that might have inspired a particular stroke of genius in a painting now gamely looking back at me from the wall of another museum. This is most evident at the Rene Magritte Museum in an ordinary suburb of Brussels.
I pop out of the Belgica metro stop and follow the signs for a ten-minute walk to an unassuming brownstone. Were it not for the sign outside, I probably would have walked right by Rue Esseghem 135:
Above the doorbell is a tiny sign…
…and on the door is a note asking visitors to ring the bell loudly; I assume this place doesn’t get too much foot traffic and I’m secretly hoping I will get to tour it all by myself. I get my wish. A young guide answers the door, takes my money, and hands me a few laminated pages describing the significance of each room. She quickly reminds me to note the fireplace…
bright blue walls…
lamppost…
and hat stand…
that all made an appearance in or impact on his works:
It’s unfortunate that each room is hidden in full view behind locked glass doors, but for a few long minutes in front of the kitchen where he once sat and worked,
I ask myself if he ever dreamed about the impact he’d have on art enthusiasts for generations to come. I follow the creaking staircase to the upper floors…
filled with memorabilia from his work in advertising and then his foray into the world of surrealism:
On the top floor of the house is a sun-filled studio staged with props found in many of his works. Except what seem like props to me today were just simple things he used in his every day life that happened to explode to life on canvas via his warped imagination.
It’s a simple home that he once rented with his lovely bride. They enlarged the space over time, and but for the contents of the home that would eventually become immortalized through his paintings, it is just that, a quiet house on a quiet street that roared with the talent within.
About a week later I stop by Rubenshuis, the Antwerp home of the artist Peter Paul Rubens, now fully restored to a beautiful museum.
But from the very front entrance,
to the cordoned off foyer,
I immediately realize that Magritte’s understated apartment is dwarfed by Rubens’ McMansion. Keeping up with the Rubenses won’t be easy. Rubens was a refined, well-read student and master of art in the 17th century. He planned this home based on an Italian Renaissance palace. Tooled leather wallpaper covers the stately rooms, and as each room unfolds one after another, I am dizzy with the remarkable layout of the home. Both warm and reserved in its elegance, it is hard to notice the art inside this place because the structure is art itself. Photography of the interiors is prohibited so I’m only able to share the exterior shots of the portico, courtyard, and Baroque garden:
So the next time you think about art, consider looking up a museum built around the artist’s home. It’s amazing what goes on behind closed doors.
Tags: Antwerp, Baroque, Belgica, Brussels, Italian Renaissance villa, Peter Paul Rubens, Rene Magritte museum, Rubenshuis
This gate to Chinatown could have been photographed anywhere in the world so why not in Antwerp? I don’t eat that much Chinese food when I’m in LA, but on the road, some good har kow (shrimp dumpling) always settles my stomach for some reason.
So after Breendonk I catch dim sum rather late in the day with a friend in Antwerp to celebrate the new year. I know Chinese food is about as universal as it gets, but a true measure of how good (translation: authentic) the food is at the particular restaurant is the quality of the har kow–whether the shrimp filling is tender with just enough crunch or whether the skin has just the right consistency. I’m no foodie, but I’m quite particular about this dish so I’m happy to report this particular joint passes with high marks:
As soon as I leave the couple of blocks that make up Chinatown, however, there’s no doubt that I’m in the Dutch region of Belgium:
With a bit of free time left on my hand, I try to get myself into Rubenshuis (the former residence and now a museum of Rubens) but I’ve just missed the closing time. You can get in for free on the last Wednesday of each month but no amount of money can get me in today:
So I try my luck at the ModeNatie building, which is a concept structure that houses the MoMu (ModeMuseum or Museum of Fashion), the Flanders Fashion Institute, a magazine, among other things.
but I also get there too late because I’ve been loitering around the main squares getting lost in all this gorgeous architecture:
Here’s some of what I saw at the Papenstraatje, just one of many beautiful corners:
Where else but here can you find a Hilton hotel and McDo in such exquisite buildings?
Anyway, I have missed visiting this literal fashion powerhouse on two separate trips to Antwerp now so I will have to book it into my schedule before I leave Europe this time. The Yohji Yamamoto store is also closing its doors so I don’t get to see the gorgeous clothes up close. I will definitely go back…sales are still raging here but I haven’t had much time to do any real shopping.
Between the great fashion and diamond shopping amidst ornate architecture, I haven’t even remembered to take pictures of the millions of restaurants all over Antwerp. These restaurants are so beautifully done they would give Hollywood a run for its money in hip factor. It would be so great to live here. Antwerp, I’ll be back!
Tags: Antwerp, har kow, ModeMuseum, MoMu, Rubenshuis, Yohji Yamamoto
