Exhibition Turbulences II
Villa Empain, from February 28th until September 1st, 2013
With the cooperation of the Espace culturel Louis Vuitton (Paris)

Unlike other so called « stable or balanced » matters, the turbulent processes are extremely touching, irreversible and unpredictable.
The works presented in this exhibition were crossed by fascinating streams and demonstrate the art of playing with turbulence.  Far from the threatening turmoil of the constantly announced chaos, they present « turbines » which generate several processes, structures and shapes in the making.
The order and the disorder, closely related here, propose a fruitful, dynamic, poetic and captivating universe.
This exhibition, conceived by David Rosenberg and Pierre Sterckx, reunites a selection of art works by the following artists:
Yacoov Agam, Basserode, Abdelkader Benchamma, Moon Beom, Angela Bulloch, Pol Bury, Loris Cecchini, Miguel Chevalier, Leo Copers, Elias Crespin, Attila Csörgö,
Wim Delvoye, Laurence Demaison, Lionel Estève, Michel François, Adam Fuss,
Pascal Haudressy, Joe Jones, Zilvinas Kempinas, Sachiko Kodama, Ryoichi Kurokawa, Bertrand Lamarche, Pe Lang, Eric Le Maire, Etienne-Jules Marey, Shinichi Maruyama, Julie Mehretu, Nicolas Moulin, Moataz Nasr, Giuseppe Penone, Donato Piccolo, Michal Rovner, Petroc Sesti, Roman Signer, Santiago Torres, Cy Twombly, Bill Viola, Jorinde Voigt.

Reading, deciphering and following the turbulent movements of matter is an art

By rendering visible its forces and rhythms, turbulence is closely bound up with the notion of chaos. It is because turbulence puts forces in liaison with forms that it is of such supreme interest to artists
Originally, the word “turbulence” described “the unruly movement of the crowd”. Leonardo da Vinci was the very first artist to develop a direct interest in this process, and use the Italian word “torbolenza”. He was fascinated by hydraulic flows, and made many such drawings, be it machines for lifting and hoisting water, or aquatic and aerial vortices.  Leonardo inherited this passion on the part of both the painter and the scientis - the man of science - for the turbulence of fluids from a handful of ancient scholars - Democritus, Epicurus, Archimedes and Lucretius. All these men saw the fabric of matter and the physics of bodies as corpuscular commotions. Of all the artists and thinkers of the latter half of the Quattrocento, Leonardo da Vinci was, without any doubt, the one who best grasped and represented the lyrical and tragic quartering of a new man, between chaotic disorder and the order of reason. In turbulence there is neither straight line, nor angles, and so no spatial enclosures or time limits. Any turbulence in fact transports, transmits, displaces, and connects. Turbulence is a spinning top, a kind of mini-hurricane, which does not stay where it is, and whose circumvolutions, like falls, seem random.
Every period raises once again this issue of turbulence in terms which are at once old-fashioned and new. Turner’s storms are not Leonardo’s storms, and yet they share something fraternal. While being part of a great undifferentiated whole which unfurls ad infinitum its emulsions of water and air, they usher in a whole new turbulent machination of chaos. Leonardo lived and created in the age of the horse and the sail, while Turner was the bard of thermodynamics. This kind of option led the painter towards abstraction: the quintessence of a machine is not represented by forms but by functions, forces, and energies. Thus did Pollock push Turner’s fogs towards the unrepresentability of an atomic cyclotron: a total turbulence, the ‘all-over’ of the whirlwind of particles.
Why do all great artists plunge into chaos and then emerge complete with compositions and harmonies? Because chaotic turbulence is the genesis not only of all forms, but also and above all, of surprising and unheard-of relations, which are incongruous, albeit coherent, between heterogeneous and distant elements. It smithereens all classification, because it plunges forms and conceptual castings into the time-frame of a refrain. Each one of its phases gives rise to new intensities, and brings forth new perceptions, and unexpected signs. We are no longer concerned with a model, or an inner depth. Its flow is a pure arabesque. We no longer know when the refrain of a turbulence will end. For this reason, turbulence is a possible image of the infinite, which can be indefinitely contemplated.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the French engineer and physicist Claude Navier and the English scholar Osborne Reynolds were  developing the first scientific models of the processes of turbulence. A few decades later, Etienne-Jules Marey (Beaune, 1830 – Paris, 1904) came up with several smoke machines with 11, 13, 21, and 57 channels.  These machines forbears of modern aerodynamic bellows and blowers, helped him to make many observations about air flow and turbulence created by different obstacles, such as planes, tubes, and wooden spheres.  But they also enabled him to take many photographs while studying turbulent flows with modern instruments. Marey thus ushered in a whole field of visual experiments explored by today’s artists. 
Be it with the help of new technologies or rudimentary systems, virtual images or traditional drawings, artists with different backgrounds are exploring the different visual and philosophical potential of the notion of turbulence.  They are also producing various systems of graphic, pictorial and sculptural notation, making it possible to “map” these disconcerting and impromptu movements of matter. 
Immersive space and video installations, blowers and turbines, mechanical and magnetic sculptures, coloured projections, but also pictures, drawings and photographs:  this exhibition, permeated by constant flows, brings together the works of 38 artists of different nationalities exploring the art of playing and juggling with turbulence in many different ways. 
Vortex, flux, acceleration, effervescence:  well removed from the threatening breakdowns of total chaos, the works on view here function like turbines which generate processes, structures and forms in the offing.  This exhibition-cum-exploration criss-crosses turbulence through five sections, which are so many problematic nodes and dynamic vortices:  flows, clouds, graphs, distortions and undulations.  And, like that child painted by Chardin fascinated by the sight of a spinning top, turbulences draw us into a reflexive journey, and a contemplative experience:  a perpetual re-creation. 

 

David Rosenberg and Pierre Sterckx, curators
Extracts from the introduction of the exhibition catalogue

 

The Espace culturel Louis Vuitton, partner of the exhibition

Louis Vuitton has always kept a close relationship with art. This particular interest led to the opening in 2006 of the Espace culturel Louis Vuitton in Paris. The journey - main theme of the Maison – is the guideline for the exhibitions, which give the opportunity to discover new sceneries and new international artists. In this respect, the Espace culturel Louis Vuitton is giving its visitors an unique artistic adventure. Among the various subjects at the heart of the Espace culturel Louis Vuitton we find: children, music, space discovery and the confusion of senses. The Turbulences exhibition is framed in this context offering not just a simple walk through, but an unique and playful experience. “Scrolls of smoke, wakes and washes of ships, turmoil of torrents and waterfalls,…the movement creates turbulence”. This is how David Rosenberg and Pierre Sterckx – curators of the exhibition – introduced the exhibition in Paris in June 2012.

By hosting this new version of the exhibition, called Turbulences II, the Espace culturel Louis Vuitton starts a new cooperation with the Boghossian Foundation.
“We have been given an exceptional opportunity by the Espace culturel to spread the exhibition “Turbulences” from the Villa Empain, a masterpiece of the Art Deco architecture  in Brussels. Moreover, this refined outstanding building enriches this exhibition with the participation of around twenty different artists.  Headquarter of the Boghossian Foundation, the Villa Empain is the center of art and dialogue between the cultures of the East and the West. Spreading from one culture to another and from country to country, the Espace culturel Louis Vuitton joins the movement and invites visitors to discover this new outreach escape”, stated Eléonore de Boysson, Director of Réseau Magasins and Marie-Ange Moulonguet, Director of Espace culturel Louis Vuitton.

Acknowledgements

The Boghossian Foundation would like to thank all those who contributed to the making of this exhibition, especially
David Rosenberg and Pierre Sterckxs, curators
The Espace culturel Louis Vuitton, Paris, official partner of the exhibition and particularly
Marie-Ange Moulonguet, Director
Gilles Moorghen, Responsible for Public and External relations
Catherine Mancier, Head of the Production and Administration, Louis Vuitton Belgium and particularly Nicolas Barré, General Manager Benelux& Nordics
Moët Hennessy,
Aly Afshar, Gallery Etemad, Dubaï,
the exhibited artists,
art-lenders and external collaborators : Art : Concept Gallery, Paris ; Albert Baronian Gallery, Brussels ; Galleria Continua, San Gimignano ; Arts-Gallery, Paris ; Service des Archives, Collège de France, Paris ; Re : Voir, Paris ; Studio Wim Delvoye, Gand ; Martine et Thibault de la Châtre Gallery, Paris ; Patrick Derom Gallery, Brussels ; Palais des Beaux Arts, Lille ; Pierre Donnersberg, Paris ; Denise René Gallery, Paris ; Galerija Gregor Podnar, Berlin ; Atelier Elias Crespin, Ivry-sur-Seine ; Gallery Etemad, Dubaï ; Xavier Hufkens Gallery, Brussels ; Centre national des Arts plastiques, Paris ; Yvon Lambert Gallery, Paris ; Electronic Arts Intermix, New York ; Esther Schipper, Berlin ; John Mendel, Brussels ; Caroline Naphegyi, Paris ; Marie-Laure Prévost, Brussels ; Bill Viola Studio LLC, Long Beach ; Musée départemental d’Art contemporain, Rochechouart ; Liam D. van Loenen, Bruce Silverstein, New York ; Pace Gallery, Londres ; Cimatics AV Platform, Brussels ; Esther Woerdehoff, Paris ; Jacques Zucker, Brussels ; Galerija Vartai, Vilnius.

For further information

Coordination : Diane Hennebert and Christophe Dosogne
Diane Hennebert, in charge of the direction of the Boghossian Foundation diane@boghossianfoundation.be
Christophe Dosogne, Artistic Advisor of the Boghossian Foundation christophe@boghossianfoundation.be

 

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Exhibition Edouard and Cleopatra

Egyptomania’s from the XIXth century
Villa Empain, Brussels, from September 20th 2012
until February 10th 2013

 

 

For many years, the Boghossian Foundation has kept its goal to contribute as much as possible to the dialog between western and eastern cultures. That is why the Boghossian Foundation has set up its main office at the Villa Empain, a Brussels Art deco gem. After being totally renovated, this magnificent building has open its doors to the public in April 2010. In its building, the Boghossian Foundation offers exhibitions, concerts, lectures, international meetings that bring together and confront many aspects of these different cultures. The artistic creation has an essential role in these process. Art is taken here as a strength of dialog, a universal language that overcomes crackings, that goes through times, disciplines and borders.

Egyptomania, a lasting fascination

From the XVIIIth century and during the Napoleon Bonaparte’s campaign in particular, Egypt fascinates searchers as well as art and antiquities lovers. The opening of the Suez canal in 1869, the development of the Orientalism and the trend of vast universal exhibitions generalize this enthusiasm for the Nile’s Valley and the richness of its history. Source of influence and fascination, the image of Egypt has taken thousands of shapes in the West for more than two centuries, including architecture, ornamental arts, painting and sculpture, in literature and, more recently, in cinema and comics. The zoological gardens of Berlin, Hamburg or Antwerp with their Egyptian looking “temple” for giraffes and elephants witness among others of its influence. Famous writers such as Gustave Flaubert, Theophile Gauthier, Gerard de Nerval, painters, photographs, compositors like Giuseppe Verde, Sarah Bernhardt in the character of Cleopatra (1880, theater piece of Victorien Sardou) haven’t escaped from this trend. In 1922, the spectacular discovery of the Tutankhamun revives the imaginary that will inspire the creators of the Art Deco. Modernity takes possession of the mythical figure of Cleopatra with Liz Taylor, in the famous John Mankiewicz movie, and invites to the adventure with Herge and Edgar P. Jacobs, thanks to the boards of their well-known albums (Tintin and the cigars or the Pharaoh, Tintin and The Mystery of the great Pyramid). Later, this will be Asterix who will dare to go to the land of Pyramids and the land of the legendary queen…

Fascinating mommies with detailed description of the Nile’s shores, from the “Return from Egypt” style to the decryption of hieroglyphs, from the pharaonic architectures to the Orientalist paintings, from the Empire to the Art Deco furniture, from jewels to fashion accessories, from opera to theater, from literature to comic strips, from the Heliopolis construction by Edouard Empain to the cruises on the Nile, … one captivating universe is laid out through this exhibition and witnesses once again, of the deep links between eastern and western cultures.

The exhibition has been set up with the scientific advices of the Professor Eugène Warmembol of the Université Libre de Bruxelles, member of the mission held in Elkab (Upper Egypt) for the Royal Museum of Art and History, member of the mission managed by the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Gourna (left side of Luxor) and author of the book Le lotus et l’oignon. Egyptologie et Egyptomanie en Belgique au XIXème siècle (Ed. Le Livre Timperman, 2012).
The exhibition has been coordinated by Diane Hennebert, director of the Boghossian Foundation, and by Christophe Dosogne, artistic consultant at the Boghossian Foundation. A catalog, with a introduction by the Professor Eugène Warmembol, completes the exhibition.

Special thanks

The Boghossian foundation takes advantages of many collaborations with lenders in the frame of this exhibition, including The Bibliothèque nationale de France – Opéra Garnier (Paris), the Institut français d’Architecture (Paris), the Musée national d’Art moderne – Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), the Museum and park of the Château de Compiègne, the Musée des Beaux Arts of Grenoble, the Musée des Beaux Arts of Orléans, the Musée of Quimper, Cité de la céramique, Sèvres & Limoges, the New York Public Library (New York), the Brussels Fine Arts Academy, the Archives d’Architecture Moderne (Brussels), the Hendrik Conscience Library (Antwerp), The Human sciences library of the Université Libre de Bruxelles, the Musée communal d’Ixelles, the Musée François Duesberg (Mons), the Musée royal de Mariemont (Morlanwelz), the Royal Museum of Art and History (Brussels), the Opera royal of La Monnaie (Brussels), Amicom vzw (Antwerp), Baccarat Patrimoine (Paris), the Boghossian Collection (Brussels and Geneva), the Cartier Collection (Paris and Geneva), the Edgar P. Jacobs Foundation (Brussels), the Loge des Amis Philanthropes (Brussels), LVMH / Dior Couture (Paris), Ampersand House (Brussels), the Galerie Berko (Knokke), Collector’s Gallery (Brussels), the Galerie Yannick David (Brussels), Paul De Grande Antiques (Snellegem), Rose Issa Projects (London), the Miphan Gallery (Brussels), the Galerie Nathalie Obadia (Brussels and Paris), Victor Werner Antiques (Antwerp), the Maison Vrouyr (Antwerp), Svenkst Tenn (Stockholm), the count François d’Ansembourg, Céline Cléron, Youssef Nabil, Eugène Warmenbol and many other private lenders from Belgium or from abroad who whish to remain anonymous.

For complementary information :

Diane Hennebert, director Christophe Dosogne, art advisor Boghossian Foundation Villa Empain – Center of art and dialogue between the Cultures of the East and the West Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 67 – 1050 Brussels - Belgium diane@boghossianfoundation.be – christophe@boghossianfoundation.be info@boghossianfoundation.be www.fondationboghossian.com – www.villaempain.com

 

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Exhibition Art is the answer!

Contemporary Lebanese artists and designers
Villa Empain, from March 29th to September 2nd, 2012

 

 

After humanitarian and educational activities since 1998 in Armenia and Lebanon, the Boghossian Foundation has also set itself the objective to contribute as concretely as possible, to the dialogue between the cultures of the East and the West. To this end it has installed its headquarters at the Villa Empain, jewel of the Brussels Art Deco architecture. After its complete restoration, this magnificent building opened to the public in April 2010, where the Boghossian Foundation proposes exhibitions, concerts, conferences, international meetings, reuniting and comparing certain aspects of these different cultures.
Art has taken an essential role through this approach.  In this context, it is important to understand art as a universal language, a means of communication and sharing between different cultures, a desire to share and dialogue, which exceeds time and borders. Art is the answer!

Coinciding with the launch of the annual Boghossian Foundation Prize for young Lebanese artists, the Foundation has taken the initiative to present an exhibitionin Brussels, offering a significant vision of the Lebanese Contemporary Art scene.
The exhibition Art is the answer! proposes a selection of art works realized by twenty creators, demonstrating the vitality of the art scene which characterizes the current Lebanon. 
It is of course a limited selection, which mainly reflects the wish to allow the Brussels public to discover artists rarely exposed in the European Capital and to become aware of their specifics as well as their mutual inspiration with the occidental artists.

In many Arab Countries, it took time for artistic modernity to get way from a local and specialized scene. It was not until the early 2000s that a real dialogue was embarked between western dynamics and the eastern artists. On the Arab side, art, more than ever, demonstrated its instrumental nature by helping to express the frustrations and humiliations undergone by peoples during the turmoil. On the western side, the feeling of fear in the face of terror became associated with a curiosity about these often misunderstood cultures. It is in this context that Lebanon affirms its singularities. In the 1960s, the Arab-Israeli wars and the plethora of autocratic regimes in the region turned Beirut into a haven of freedom and innovation. But the years 1975-1976 were marked by violence and amidst the bombs a new generation would try to live and express itself. For fifteen years, the country lived cut off from any temptation of normality, torn apart between contradictory and murderous forces. The 1990s were all about reconstruction. Lebanon wanted to turn the page; the State invested in the renovation of infrastructures and confided the task of preparing a master plan for the capital’s downtown area to a private company. In the construction site of the future 21st century megalopolis, many failed to find their place, and demanded a work of memory. To the law which amnestied war crimes, they responded with a desire to record history. New artistic practices such as performances, installations, videos, music, photography and cinema were initiated and gave birth to unique experiences. The experiments, produced with very limited means, would be presented in unusual, sometimes dilapidated places and open a public debate. As the cornerstone of Lebanese artwork in the 1990s and 2000s, in-depth investigation into the ghosts of recent history also helped to free up a whole raft of issues linked with the city and society.

In the early 2000s, Lebanon suddenly found itself in the headlines again. From the assassination of Rafic Hariri to the demonstrations it gave rise to, from the July 2006 war to the period of instability that risked ending in catastrophe, the specters of turmoil resurfaced. Whether artists had remained in the country or settled abroad, they would react with disconcerting speed. Simultaneously with Israeli air raids, they would distribute short films, drawings, texts, and acoustic and visual works. Many of those urgently produced pieces would be put on view all over the world in the months following those famous thirty-three days. From Dubai to Sydney, through London, Venice and New York, the public was eager to see and hear what Lebanese people had to say. The Lebanese art scene managed not only to get across to its own society its likes and dislikes, its ideas, its fears and its dreams, but it also set out to conquer the world. The West discovered it with fascination and at the same time, the Gulf monarchies embarked upon an overabundance of fairs, biennials and museums. Lebanese artists were honorably invited here, whilst in 1990 they were merely considered as agitators.

The artists selected for the exhibition Art is the answer !

Ziad Abillama
Ziad Antar
Ayman Baalbaki
Mohamad-Said Baalbaki
Chaza Charafeddine
Zena el Khalil
Fouad Elkoury
Najla el Zein
Hiba Kalache
Karen Kalou
Nadim Karam
Abdulrahman Katanani
Taline Kechichian
Alfred Tarazi

Design and styling:
Karim Chaya
Karen Chekerdjian
Nada Debs
Milia Maroun
Wyssem et Cécile Nochi
Ranya Sarakbi

As a welcome to the invited Lebanese artists, French photographer, residing in Brussels, Franck Christen chose to present two of his works at the Villa Empain: Cèdres, Bcharré, (2002, courtesy Gallery Kettaneh Kunigk, Beirut). The Boghossian Foundation publishes
500 copies of this diptych in.

The catalog of this exhibition, introduced by art historian Gregory Buchakjian, is published in French and English.

The exhibition and the catalog are coordinated by Diane Hennebert and Christophe Dosogne, assisted by Magali Defrenne.

The Boghossian Foundation is pleased to cooperate with Solidere for the organization of this exhibition. After its presentation in Brussels, the exhibition will be shown at the Beirut Exhibition Center, beginning 2013.

The Boghossian Foundation is also associated with Art Brussels (annual Contemporary Art fair in Brussels, April) and with the Beirut Art Fair (July), who participate in the promotion of this exhibition.

On April 24th, 25th and 26th 2012, the Boghossian Foundation will organize International Meetings around the theme Art is the answer! at the Villa Empain. These meetings will give the opportunity to evoke, with artists and philosophers, the concept of art, seen as a state of mind and a way of life, as well as a creative answer to conflicts.

Acknowledgements

The Boghossian Foundation thanks all those who contributed to the organization of this exhibition, mainly
Solidere, partner of the Boghossian Foundation for this exhibition,
the presented artists,
Shirin Abali,

Randa Armanazi, Solidere, Beirut
David Atal, Fotodart, Paris
Sam Bardaouil
Gregory Buchakjian
Sarkis Buchakjian; Caline Chidiac, Nada Debs Studio, Beirut
Franck Christen
Sandra Dagher
Laure d’Hauteville, Beirut Art Fair
Martine de Limburg Stirum, Art Brussels
Nada el Asaad, Association for the Promotion & Exhibition of the Arts in Lebanon, Beirut
Léa Gauthier, Black Jack Editions, Brussels
Rose Issa
Nadim Karam & Atelier Hapsitus, Beirut  
Martine Kiwan, Nadim Karam & Atelier Hapsitus, Beirut
Arlette Khoury, Solidere, Beirut
Janine Maamari
Omar M. Mazhar, Rose Issa Projects, London
Alexandre Medawar, Logic +Format, Beirut
Jessica Morgan, The Daskalopoulos Curator Internatinal Art, Tate Modern, London Stéphanie Moussalem, spockdesign, Beirut
Edith Moussali, Karen Chekerdjian Store, Beirut
Anastasia Nysten, Karen Chekerdjian Studio, Beirut
Pascal Odille, Beirut Art Fair
Maya Parisi, Jopa Editions, Brussels
Mary Salame Boghossian
Diane Yared, Solidere, Beirut

Saleh Barakat, Agial Art Gallery, Beirut
Carol A. Chehab, Agial Art Gallery, Beirut
Aïda Cherfan, Aïda Cherfan Fine Arts Gallery, Beirut
Verena Ferraro, Galerie Tanit, Munich
Naïla Kettaneh Kunigk, l’Espace Kettaneh Kunigk, Beirut, Galerie Tanit, Munich
Almine Rech, Almine Rech Gallery, Brussels and Paris
Khaled Samawi, Ayyam Gallery, Beirut, Damas and Dubai
Lea Sebnaoui, The Running Horse Contemporary Art Space, Beirut

The Boghossian Foundation is also supported by
the Brussels-Capital Region
the Belgian National Lottery,
the RTBF (Belgian French speaking radio and television)
Jean Verheyen, Member of Axa Group 

the Circle of Friends of the Villa Empain

For more information

Diane Hennebert, in charge of the Direction of the Boghossian Foundation
Christophe Dosogne, Artistic Advisor
diane@boghossianfoundation.be
christophe@boghossianfoundation.be

 

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Exhibition
A dream of eternity
The long road of Oriental arts

October 7th, 2011 – February 26th, 2012

Time is usually considered from two opposite angels: the instant and the duration.  However, there is a third dimension of time, registered in the theory of dynamic systems, defended by mathematician Henri Poincaré: that of a long time, potentially never-ending.

The Boghossian Foundation has chosen to evoke this long time here; not from a scientific approach, but rather through the presentation of artistic expressions stemming from various cultures and times.

In every culture, the notion of time is inseparable from the human consciousness and its finitude, from the spiritual, religious and social life, from the artistic and artisanal creation.

Dream of eternity, myth of the eternal returning, meditation and contemplation are expressed through works of art which are sometimes spectacular, sometimes humble, testifying of a big patience.

Used to the time (which) runs from the western modernity, neglecting more and more the values of the transmission and the inheritances of ancient know-how, we remain nevertheless fascinated by their persistence in the oriental creation, whether artistic or artisanal.

The project for this exhibition came from an impressive selection of oriental embroidered textiles. In order to emphasize the dialogue between various cultures, the Boghossian Foundation chose to present these magnificent textiles in addition to the other creations which inevitably evoke the long time necessary for their realization: lacquers, miniatures, lace, and jewelry, are especially a part of these testimonies.  The beauty of this ensemble is even more reinforced by the vicinity of works realized by contemporary artists who express various perceptions of time, going from slowness, wisdom, meditation to old age and death.

The selected artists for this project:

Isbah Afzal (Pakistan), Manish Arora (India and France), Mar Arza (Mexico), Ali Assaf, (Iraq and Italy), Annie Bascoul (France), Hicham Berrada (Morocco and France), Pol Bury (Belgium and France), Céline Cléron (France), Claude Cortinovis (Switzerland), Hélène de Gottal (Belgium), Diane Didier (Belgium), Emmanuelle Dupont (France), Angelo Filomeno (Italy and USA), Gérard Garouste (France), Luis Gonzalez Palma (Guatemala), Kahn & Selesnick (United Kingdom), Marie-Rose Lortet (France), Shirin Neshat (Iran and USA), Simone Pheulpin (France), Eric Poitevin (France), Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook (Thailand), Samuel Rousseau (France), Raqib Shaw (India and United Kingdom), Chiharu Shiota (Japan and Germany), Hiroshi Sugimoto (Japan), Lee Ufan (Korea), Arlette Vermeiren (Belgium and Italy) & Maurizio Galante (Italy), Michael Young (United Kingdom).

 

The exhibition A dream of eternity will be presented at the Villa Empain, Center of art and dialogue between the cultures of the East and the West, from October 7th 2011 until February 26th 2012.

It is conceived and coordinated by Diane Hennebert, in charge of the Direction of the Boghossian Foundation, with the cooperation of Christophe Dosogne, Artistic Advisor of the Boghossian Foundation and Magali Defrenne, Collection Administrator.

With the cooperation of the Royal Museums of Art and History (Brussels), the Museum of Costume and Lace (Brussels), the Museum Guimet (Paris), the Benaki Museum (Athens), the Daniel Templon Gallery (Paris), the Maison parisienne (Paris), the Gladstone Gallery (New York / Paris), the Patrick Derom Gallery (Brussels / New York), the Aeroplastice Gallery (Brussels), the Duchange & Riché Gallery ( Brussels), the Anne de Villepoix Gallery (Paris), the Gisèle Croës Gallery (Brussels), the Gimpel Fils Gallery (London), the Kevorkian Gallery (Paris), the Alexis Renard Gallery (Paris), the Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery ( Salzburg and Paris), the Galerie Micheline Szwajcer Gallery (Antwerp), the White Cube Gallery (London), the Boghossian Collection (Brussels and Geneva), the Marcel and Zaïra Mis Collection (Brussels) and several private collections who prefered to stay anonymous.

A catalogue is published on the occasion of this exhibition, on the initiative of the Boghossian Foundation, of which the introduction was written by the Philosopher Frédéric Lenoir.

International meetings will be organised at the Empain Villa on November 29th and 30th and December 1st, 2011, and will supplement this reflection over time. They will be introduced by the philosopher Frédéric Lenoir and will gather many personalities of international renown.
 

For more information

Diane Hennebert, In charge of the Direction of the Boghossian Foundation
diane@boghossianfoundation.be
Christophe Dosogne, Artistic Advisor of the Boghossian Foundation
christophe@boghossianfoundation.be

 

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Miral at the European Parliament
September 21rst 2011

On September 21rst 2011, the Boghossian Foundation organized the projection of the movie Miral at the European Parliament, in the presence of its maker, Julian Schnabel.
This recent film was based on the life story of Palestinian Rula Jebreal, who passed her childhood in an orphanage in Jerusalem before becoming a considered journalist in Italy.
After the presentation of this movie at the European Parliament, Julian Schnabel and Rula Jebreal participated there in a public debate. The theme was dedicated to the possibilities of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.

Julian Schnabel, of Jewish origin and born in New York, is well-known on the artistic scene, as much for his sculptures and paintings as for his movies (Basuiat, The diving bell and the Buterfly,…). Miral, his last movie, testifies of his will to participate, through art, in the improvement of the situation which tears apart the Jewish and Palestinian communities for far too long.

 

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European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage
EUROPA NOSTRA AWARDS 2011

The prizes for the Europa Nostra Competition 2011 were awarded in Amsterdam on the 10th of June 2011. In the four defined categories (Conservation, Research, Dedicated services, Education and training), 27 European projects had been appointed as award laureates. The Antwerp Central Station and the Villa Empain were selected among the five Belgian projects.

On this June the 10th 2011, among the prize winning projects, the restoration of the Villa Empain was rewarded with a special prize, awarded by Madam Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner in charge of Education, Culture, Youth and Multilingualism, as well as by Mister Placido Domingo, President of Europa Nostra.

This prize emphasizes the quality of the restoration of this masterpiece of Belgian Art deco heritage led by the Boghossian Foundation, and also acknowledges its affectation into a Center of art and dialogue between the cultures of the East and the West.
Such recognition confirms the legitimacy of this unique initiative.
The Boghossian Foundation thanks all those who contributed to this success, as well as the members of the jury of Europa Nostra for this prestigious prize.

 

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Resident host at the Villa Empain

From the academic year 2011-2012, the Boghossian Foundation can welcome four students, researchers or artists at the end of their study cycle, to reside at the Villa Empain in Brussels. The duration of their stay can correspond to the period of a complete academic year or, at least, a quarter.

The selection of the candidates will be established by a coordination committee,
consisting of:

• Bernard Coulie, Honorary Rector of the Catholic University of Louvain
• Didier Viviers, Rector of the Free University of Brussels,
• Caroline Mierop, Director of the Higher School of Visuel Arts La Cambre,
• Micheline Mardulyn, Director of the Bernheim Foundation,
• Sophie Bash, Professor at the Sorbonne,
• Diane Hennebert, Director of the Boghossian Foundation

This coordination committee is chaired by Jean Boghossian, President of the Boghossian Foundation.

The call for candidacies is spread by the Boghossian Foundation to several universities in the East and the West.
Applications must be sent to the Boghossian Foundation at least six months before the desired arrival date in Brussels.
Upon receipt of the application files, Jean Boghossian and the members of the coordination committee will study them with the required seriousness.  A letter will be sent to the candidates, informing them about their decisions.

According to the nationality and academic profile or formation of the selected candidates, the Boghossian Foundation will seek personalities who will agree to be their "mentor" during their stay in Brussels. These "mentors" will commit to meet the candidates regularly and to facilitate their contacts, at a human, cultural and academic level.

From their arrival until their departure, the selected candidates will be invited to participate in a monthly meeting with the persons in charge of the Boghossian Foundation. These assemblies will allow the evaluation of their good integration, their reciprocal relations, their adaptation in the academic environment and their specific wishes.

In return and so the selected candidates can participate in the projects of the Foundation Boghossian, they will be proposed to cooperate in the public activities at the Villa Empain (reception of visitors, guided tours, the documentation center) during certain weekends of their stay. 

Every year, the Boghossian Foundation will choose a theme as guideline for the selection of the candidates. These themes will essentially be cultural and artistic:

• History of civilization and religions
• Philosophy
• Literature
• Art history
• Anthropology
• Artistic practices (plastic arts, design, cinema, performing arts, styling, jewelry)
• Architecture
• Art professions
• The preservation of the patrimony

The selected candidates will commit to respect the terms of their contract with the Boghossian Foundation, such as the agreed duration of their stay. In case of severe negligence of their commitments, the selected candidates will leave the Villa Empain with a month's notice.

Based on their results, the residents can introduce a prolongation request for their stay in Brussels. This demand will be presented to the coordination committee of the Boghossian Foundation and to the concerned academic institutions.

Within the framework of this project, the Boghossian Foundation benefits from the support of the Belgian Federal Ministry of Scientific research, as well as of several higher education institutions, among which the Free university of Brussels, the Catholic University of Louvain, The Higher school of Architecture Victor Horta – La Cambre (ULB) and the National Higher school of Visual arts La Cambre.
These institutions commit to welcome the selected candidates, free of charge, in the faculties and sections chosen by the applicants. At the end of their stay and based on the evaluation of their work, the candidates will receive an academic recognition from these institutions. However, these cannot assure the grant of a credit transfer or a diploma to the candidates.

The Boghossian Foundation will take care of the accommodation expenses of the residents at the Villa Empain.

Applications can be sent to
Diane Hennebert, In charge of the Direction of the Boghossian Foundation
Villa Empain
Avenue Franklin Roosevelt, 67
B - 1050 Brussels
diane@boghossianfondation.be

 

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Exhibition, Villa Empain
From the 11th of March until the 25th of September 2011

Of women’s modesty and anger

Rituals, wigs, scarves, make-up and so many other constraints determined the life of women for Centuries, between concealment, unveiling and revealing.
From the inferiority of women’s status in certain of yesterday’s and today’s societies, to the liberation of women, from their dissimulation behind various models of veils and clothes (veil, scarf, abaya, burqa, chadri, haik, hijab, jilbeb, khimar, niqab, chador,…), to the destitution shown in the media: what are the realities and the situations which determined and still determine the relations between society and the feminine body?  Since millenniums and in most cultures, women hide certain parts of their body. Is it natural modesty which protects them, signs of respect or constraints imposed by a collectively recognized decency?

More specifically, how do Oriental women live today, towards and against certain prohibitions, beyond the sometimes-simplistic clichés Westerners make of their living conditions? How do they express themselves? How do they see their world and ours; how do we see them? There are so many nuances in the game of the glimpse! The mirror, the Oriental amulets which protect from the evil eye, eyes hidden behind dark glasses or under the netting of a chadri, made up with kohl, shy or provocative; the mysteries of these multiple expressions have fascinated and inspired many artists.

The idea is to evoke modesty, whether it is forced or chosen; this « grace » tinged with fear and shame, politeness and prohibitions, which dictates the behavior of women as soon as they grow up from childhood, whatever culture they come from.  

Through this exhibition, the Boghossian Foundation whishes to give an echo to these multiple aspects of the feminine body, by inviting about thirty Eastern and Western artists, in order to express themselves at the Villa Empain.

The invited and represented artists

Ghada Amer (Egypt), Atelier Oï (Switzerland), Araki (Japan), Lara Baladi (Lebanon), Rina Banerjee (India), Hubert Barrère (France), Claire Beillard (France), Louise Bourgeois (France/USA), Balthasar Burkhard (Switzerland), Gabriele Corni (Italy), Marta Descur (Poland), Nezaket Ekici (Turkey), Lalla Essaydi (Marrocco), Lamya Gargash (UAE – Dubaï), Shadi Ghadirian (Iran), Patrizia Guerresi Maimouna (Italy), Mona Hatoum (Lebanon/Palestine), Lea Golda Holterman (Israël), Hayv Kahraman (Irak), William Klein (USA/France), Leora Laor (Israël), Charlie Le Mindu (France), Isabelle Léourier (France), Youssef Nabil (Egypt), ORLAN (France), Pipilotti Rist (Switzerland), Aidan Salakhova (Russia), Pierrick Sorin (France), Elly Strik (the Netherlands), Lin Tianmiao (China), Amedeo M. Turello (Monaco), Joana Vasconcelos (Portugal), Arlette Vermeiren (Belgium), Jan Zwart (the Netherlands).

The Boghossian Foundation also sought the cooperation of French writer Jean-Claude Bologne for the exhibition and for the catalog.
Author of the study Feminine Modesties, published by the Editions du Seuil in September 2010, Jean-Claude Bologne is a professor of medieval iconology at  ICART (Paris) and published about thirty books (novels, dictionaries and essays), among which History of The Love Feeling (Fayard, 2004), and A History of the Loving Conquest (Seuil, 2007).

Acknowledgements

The Boghossian Foundation thanks all those who contributed to the realization of this exhibition, mainly all the represented artists and Jean-Claude Bologne, but also Kristos Doulkeridis, Minister of Brussels-Capital Region,
Valérie Auberson, Laila Binbrek, Vanessa Clairet, Clélia Colombani, Ménéhould de Bazelaire, Eric Decelle, Patricia De Peuter, Jean-Marc Dimanche, Emilie Dujat, Florence Guillier-Bernard, Sophie Hasearts, Xavier Hufkens, Jérôme Jacobs, Eric Kawan, Christophe Langlitz, Agatha Le Guern, Laurence Maynier, Nathalie Obadia, Anne Petre, Thibault Pradet, Michel Rein, Zoé Roulot, Samir Sabet d’Acre, Antonella Sbarra, Valerio Tazzetti, Adelina von Fürstenberg, Katrina Weber, Diana Wiegersma, Clémence Wolff,
&
Aéroplastics Gallery (Brussels), the bank ING (Brussels), Boghossian SA (Geneva), Louise Bourgeois Foundation (New York), Hermès, Xavier Hufkens Gallery (Brussels), JMG Gallery (Paris), Le Guern Gallery (Warsaw), Libertine Gallery (Brussels), Michel Rein Gallery (Paris), Maison Parisienne (Paris), the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres – Sèvres City of Ceramics, MnAcommunication (Paris), the Nadour Collection (Paris), OltreDimore Gallery (Bologna), Nathalie Obadia Gallery (Paris and Brussels), Photo&Contemporary Gallery (Turin), The Third Line Gallery (Dubaï), Amadeo M. Turello Studio (Monaco).

Practical Information

This exhibition was curated by Diane Hennebert, in charge of the direction of the Boghossian Foundation, with the cooperation of Christophe Dosogne, artistic advisor of the Boghossian Foundation.

It is open to the public, every day, except on Mondays, between 10 am and 6:30 pm, from the 11th of March until the 25th of September 2011.

Entrance fee:    10 € per person
Reductions:      8 € per person (seniors and students)
                       7 € per person (groups of minimum15 persons)

Free entrance for children under 8

Guided tours in French, English and Dutch, only upon reservation.
Price per guide: 75 €

Access

Villa Empain, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 67 – 1050 Brussels 
Tram 94 - Bus 25 and 71
Parking near the Villa Empain (avenue Franklin Roosevelt or Avenue Victoria)

info@boghossianfoundation.be / www.villaempain.com / www.fondationboghossian.com

 

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Exhibition at the Villa Empain
From the 18th of November 2010 until the 27th of February 2011

Colors of the Orient,
Arts and lifestyles in the Ottoman Empire

From the 18th of November 2010 until the 27th of February 2011, the Boghossian Foundation will present, in the salons and on the several levels of the Villa Empain, an exhibition which underlines the richness of the cultural inheritance transmitted by the Ottoman Empire, since the 15th Century until the beginning of the 19th Century.

Entitled, Colors of the Orient, Arts and lifestyles in the Ottoman Empire, this exhibition highlights the diversity of arts inspired by multiple influences which, for Centuries, have given a prestigious splendor to this fascinating Empire.

The Ottoman world built itself an Empire, influenced at the same time by the East and the West. From their modest debuts in the 14th Century and long before acquiring the complete control of Anatolia, the Ottomans assimilated certain values of the Greek, Bulgarian and Armenian cultures. Before the taking of Constantinople in 1453, they inherited wealth from the Byzantine civilization, which they did not destroy but much rather integrated, by adding their traditions from Central Asian civilizations, allied to the refinement of the Islam. Thus, on the crossroads of the East and the West, the Ottomans elaborated, from the 15th Century, an original artistic language, a common directory and declined all their decorative arts.
The later phases of the artistic and artisanal creation in the Ottoman Empire permanently reflect this variety of inspiration, not as a coexistence of conflicting elements, but as a synthesis offering a specific identity.
Endowed with a strong craft, organized in powerfully structured corporations, the Ottoman Empire implemented big centers of creation for manufactured objects. The orders by the Imperial Palace and the export of quality products to the most distant countries (China, Europe) were, for Centuries, a considerable source of income. Bronze-smelters, miniaturists, ceramists, weavers, brass-, ivory-, leather- and glass-workers, held an important place in the economic and social life of the Empire.

In order to show the evolution and the blooming of the arts of the Ottoman Empire, since their Byzantine roots, this exhibition proposes a selection of about 300 creations and objects through a route which follows the timeline and emphasizes the richest periods. The exhibited works distinguish themselves, not only by the splendor of the used materials, but also by the invention, the refinement and the know-how of the artists and craftsmen who created them. 
Furthermore, as the title of the exhibition indicates, the arts of the Ottoman Empire ceaselessly sought colors, whether through textiles and carpets, miniatures and paintings, calligraphy or ceramics.

The long period approached in this exhibition, from the 16th to the 19th Century, testifies how the Ottoman civilization assimilated the contributions of its conquests and how the artistic production, which characterizes it, gradually won in depth and refinement. The 18th Century constitutes the summit of this evolution, while simultaneously the European influences are outlined; the basis of the opening to the West to which the Empire will commit from the 19th century.

The exhibition Colors of the Orient, Arts and lifestyle in the Ottoman Empire reunites numerous art pieces and objects from several Belgian and foreign collections, such as:

The treasure of the Cathedral of Liege,
The Arab World Institute in Paris,
The collection Marcel and Zaïra Mis (Brussels),
The collectors who wish to remain anonymous

The main addressed themes

- The inheritance of Byzantium and Constantinople

- The influence and wealth of the various cultures of the Empire
- Calligraphie and miniatures  
- Textiles and Embroidery (silk trades, velvet, brocade)
- Carpets
- Ceramics of Iznik and Kuthaya
- Silverware
- Cabinetmaking and marquetry
- Jewelry

- The life under the influence of the Great lord

- The world of harems
- The luxury and the pleasures (music, hammam, coffee and tobacco, culinary art, …)

- The influence from Europe from the 18th Century

- Orientalism through the discovery of the Ottoman Empire by the Western artists
- Orientalism of Eastern artists

Thanks to

The Boghossian Foundation would like to thank all those who contributed to the implementation of this exhibition, mainly

Mr Taoufik Bendahou,
Mr Edhem Eldem,
Mr Eric Delpont,
Mr Philippe George,
Mr Eric Grunberg,
Mr Frédéric Hitzel,
Mr hayati Kamhi,
Mr and Mrs Gérard Khoury,
Mr and Mrs Marcel Mis,
Mr Sevan Perrin,
Mr Alexis Renard,
Mr Saeed Sadraee,
Mr Nick Shaw

Catalogue

For this exhibition, the Boghossian Foundation will publish a catalogue (112 pages, 80 illustrations), in English and French

Informations  

Exhibition Colors of the Orient, Arts and lifestyles in the Ottoman Empire, from the 18th of November 2010 until the 27th of February 2011, every day, except Monday, from 10am until 6:30pm
Admission fee : 10 € 
Reduction for groups, students and seniors: 8 €
Reduction for groups of minimum 15 persons: 7 €
Free admission for children under 8.
 
Guided visits in English, French and Dutch are organized upon reservation, during the opening hours of the exhibition.

Address

Villa Empain
Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 67, 1050 Brussels
Access by public transport: trams 25, 94 (stib) – bus 71 (stib), 366 (tec)

Contacts

- Diane Hennebert, In charge of the direction of the Boghossian Foundation
diane@boghossianfoundation.be

Astrid Beauduin, Executive Assistant of the Fondation Boghossian
astrid@boghossianfoundation.be

Christophe Dosogne, Art Consultant
christophe@boghossianfoundation.be

www.fondationboghossian.com et www.villaempain.com

The Boghossian Foundation benefits from the support of the members of the Circle of Friends of the Villa Empain, as well as from several public and private partners, such as the Brussels Capital Region, the National Lottery, the RTBF, the Federal Ministry  of scientific politics, Insurance company Jean Verheyen, member of Axa Group and the Conrad Hotel in Brussels.