Venture out to discover heritage treasures and key exhibitions with the Boghossian Foundation. During our outings and cultural voyages, exceptional lecturer-guides unveil for you the many facets of the culture of the Arab world, of the Near, Middle and Far East, or again of Art Deco architecture.
Travels
Georgia
Cultural journey conceived by Cathy Boghossian
14-28 May 2022
Georgia lies between the Black and the Caspian Sea, on the southern flank of the Caucasus. Numerous peoples have passed by in the course of the centuries, each with their own influences, with which the Georgians have forged a rich and original culture. Their architecture, goldsmith’s art, literature and gastronomy bear witness to this. Its location, at the interface of Europe and Asia, the West and the East, makes the country a melting pot of cultures.
Design and cultural heritage along the Canal du Centre
Cultural getaway
18 June 2022
The Boghossian Foundation invited its members to discover the province of Hainaut during an exciting day along the water and the old mining sites, from the Mundaneum, via the Grand Hornu, to the Keramis ceramic centre.
Albania
Cultural journey conceived by Cathy Boghossian
14-30 October 2022
A journey through history, culture and dance to discover the exceptional heritage of Albania. In an almost untouched nature, Albania preserves an exceptional heritage, evocative of ancient remains and medieval monuments. Not to lose sight of Tirana, the vibrant capital of this country that never ceases to reinvent itself and which hosted for the first time the international festival of contemporary dance.
Luxembourg Art Week
Cultural journey
14 november 2021
Every year, Luxembourg Art Week creates a cultural buzz in the Grand Duchy, an opportunity not to be missed that offers a chance to discover the artistic treasures it has to offer. After a morning spent discovering the fair, the afternoon was dedicated to the visit of the corporate collection Arendt & Medernach, as well as to the exhibition Stronger than memory and weaker than dewdrops, presented at the Casino de Luxembourg – Forum d’Art Contemporain.
The two Limburgs
Cultural journey
16 october 2021
On the Belgian side of the Limburg border, we went to discover Labiomista, an evolving work by the artist Koen Vanmechelen. Set in a 24-hectare parc, this outdoor museum contains installations and artworks that revisit universal social themes, such as diversity and human rights, through the prism of art. In Dutch Limburg, there is the Bonnefanten Museum, where, in addition to the magnificent collection of ancient art, the retrospective dedicated to the American artist Margeret Kilgallen did not fail to fascinate.
Antwerp differently
Cultural getaway
19 October 2019
The cultural getaway began at the headquARTers of the Katoen Natie, an architectural masterpiece by Robbrecht and Daems. This was followed by the discovery of the Museum De Reede, entirely dedicated to graphic arts, with Goya, Munch and Rops as its main masters, and the temporary exhibition “La Celestina, Life between the lines” with work by Picasso. The day closed with a private tour of the Axel Vervoordt collection with works by Anish Kapoor and James Turrell.
Egypt, gift of the Nile
Cultural journey conceived by Cathy Boghossian
29 September – 11 October 2019
It is in the Nile Valley that we find Ancient Egypt’s most emblematic sites, from Cairo to Luxor to Aswan. The Boghossian Foundation invited its guests spend a few days following the course of this historic and powerfully flowing river, in the company of Dr Moustafa Zayed, Doctor of History and Lecturer in Egyptology at the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Quebec in Montreal. Robert Solé, a specialist in ancient and contemporary Egypt, provided a series of lectures during the trip.
The treasures of Egypt
Cultural getaway
30 June 2019
The Boghossian Foundation invited its friends to discover the treasures of Egypt on a journey that began at Villa Empain with a visit to the exhibition Heliopolis, in the company of curators Marie-Cécile Bruwier and Florence Doyen. The getaway continued at the Royal Museums of Art and History with an exceptional visit guided Luc Delvaux, curator of the Dynastic Egyptian and Greco-Roman collection. Travelling from there to the Musée Royal de Mariemont, participants had the privilege of being guided through its rich Egyptian collection by its curator, Arnaud Quertinmont.
Cultural journey to the heart of Lebanon
Cultural journey conceived by Cathy Boghossian
1 – 8 May 2019
Situated at the crossroads of the greatest civilizations, Lebanon today displays the riches and stigmata of its tumultuous past. This trip was an opportunity to discover grandiose sites that have shaped history: Byblos, Baalbek, Sidon, Tyre and the country’s vibrant capital, Beirut. Participants were accompanied by guide-lecturer Ms. Hana Chidiac, a graduate in art history and archaeology from the University of Paris-Sorbonne IV.
Art déco
Cultural getaway
10 March 2019
Ahead of the Flamboyant exhibition, the Boghossian Foundation extended an invitation to rediscover some emblematic monuments of Art Deco. The visit began at Croix, close to Lille, at the Villa Cavrois, a masterpiece by Robert Mallet-Stevens, designed and built for Paul Cavrois, a textile industrialist from Roubaix. The visit to the Roubaix Piscine Museum of Art and Industry was an opportunity to meet one of the essential figures of 19th century orientalist painting through the exhibition “Gustave Guillaumet’s Algeria”. This prestigious and unprecedented exhibition served to reveal this naturalist painter, madly in love with the open spaces and inhabitants of Algeria in the early days of the colonial yoke.
Cultural journey to the heart of Lebanon
Journey conceived by Cathy Boghossian
8 – 15 October 2018
The Boghossian Foundation was pleased to offer a cultural trip to Lebanon, a country of countless natural wonders and superbly preserved historic sites.
Orients, between Roubaix and Lens
Cultural getaways
28 April & 19 May 2018
From Roubaix to Lens (France), the Boghossian Foundation took the Friends of the Villa to discover three exhibitions. A guided visit to the Le Louvre-Lens museum and the exhibition The Empire of Roses dedicated to 19th century Iranian art invited friends to discover the sumptuous art of the Qajar dynasty. At the LaM (Lille Métropole Museum of Modern, Contemporary and Outsider Art) in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, a guided tour of the Nicolas Schöffer exhibition celebrated the forward-looking work of an emblematic personalities of post-war creation in France. In Tourcoing, a guided tour of the exhibition Christians of the East. 2000 years of history at the MUba museum offered a journey through the history of the Christian communities of the East, from Antiquity to the present day.
From Madrid to Toledo
Cultural journey conceived by Christophe Dosogne
24 – 27 May 2018
The Boghossian Foundation invited its friends to immerse in a Castilian rhythm for a few days, during which they explored the multicultural riches of Madrid and Toledo, plunging into these cities’ Arab-Christian past and the work of the great masters of the Golden Age of Spanish painting: Velasquez, Goya, Picasso and Sorolla in Madrid, and El Greco in his home city of Toledo. A handful of exclusive private collections, with works from yesterday and today from both East and West, opened their doors exceptionally to the Boghossian Foundation.
Marrakech
Cultural journey conceived by Christophe Dosogne
22 – 25 March 2018
Participants had the privilege of discovering the new Yves Saint Laurent Museum in the company of its director Björn Dahlström, and other essential sites – the Majorelle Gardens, the Berber Museum and the Medina –with Christiane Thiry, Belgian journalist and great connoisseur of Morocco. A second highlight was the meeting with Othman Lazraq, the Founder of the MACAAL (Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden) who introduced our party to its collection. To this were added two rare and exceptional private visits, to the property of the French artist Jean-François Fourtou and to the home of Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent.
Cultural journey to the heart of the Sultanate of Oman
Journey conceived by Cathy Boghossian
21 – 26 February 2018
Lying between the mountain ranges bordering the coasts and the Musandam peninsula, Oman is today home to several UNESCO heritage sites. A lecturer specializing in the Sultanate accompanied the privileged moments, including a night in the desert and an evening at the Royal Opera House in Muscat, along with other meetings and exceptional events.
Contemporary art in Luxembourg
Cultural getaway
25 November 2017
At the Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, curator Christophe Gallois introduced us to the exhibition dedicated to Luxembourg artist Su-Mei Tse who won the Golden Lion for the best national participation at the 2003 Venice Biennale. This was followed by visits to the Theater of Disorder – Martine Feipel & Jean Bechameil at exhibition the Casino de Luxembourg, Forum d’Art Contemporain and to a private collection of modern and contemporary art containing around a hundred works by mainly European artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Venice, the Serenissima and the Collezione Maramotti
Cultural journey conceived by Cathy Boghossian
10 – 15 October 2017
During this exclusive journey, the Friends of the Foundation shuttled – in a private motoscaffo – between the Venetian Palazzo and the Jewish ghetto, and between the byzantine Basilica and the “temples” of contemporary art. Participants could also to attend the opera Don Giovanni at the legendary La Fenice theatre. The Maramotti family, owners of the Max Mara ready-to-wear brand and the famous Collezione Maramotti of contemporary art, generously invited the Friends of the Villa to discover their private collection.
Cultural journey to Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh region
Journey conceived by Cathy Boghossian
16 – 24 September 2017
Situated in the highlands of the Caucasus, often coveted and invaded or annexed many times, Armenia became independent in 1991. The various occupations never deflected her from her Christian ties, those which made her the first Christian state in the world from the end of the 3rd century. This journey, led by Bernard Coulie, professor of Ancient Languages and Literatures of the Caucasus (Armenian and Georgian) and Honorary Rector of the UCL, encountered a people who have known how to preserve their identity and their rich and remarkable cultural heritage. This trip also included a journey through the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave in Azeri territory.
Documenta14, The Lesson of Athens
Cultural journey conceived by Christophe Dosogne
23 – 25 August 2017
The quinquennial DOCUMENTA exhibition had returned for its 14th edition. In different locations, it tackled a diverse range of issues including cultural colonialisms, gentrification, gender and migration. Through dance, music, sound poetry, installations and videos, 160 artists confronted the turmoil of today’s world, caught between refugee crises, post-colonial issues and rising extremism. Another highlight of the trip was the unmissable 2017 edition of Skulptur Projekte Münster, entrusted to Britta Peters and Marianne Wagner, who had selected around 35 visual artists, including Thomas Schütte, Herve Youmbi, Ayşe Erkmen and Joëlle Tuerlinckx.
Oman and the United Arab Emirates
Cultural journey conceived by Cathy Boghossian
5 – 15 March 2017
The Boghossian Foundation took its Friends to explore Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Oman is an ancient state which long predates the arrival of Islam, the other states are the outcome of agreements between the great powers at the beginning of the 20th century. Oman seeks to be a conservatory of local traditions while looking towards the future, the other states are resolutely committed to avant-garde modernity.
Japan, 150 years of Belgian-Japanese friendship
Cultural trip conceived by Cathy Boghossian
16 – 27 October 2016 & 29 November – 10 December 2016
The Boghossian Foundation invited members of the Circle of the Villa to discover Japan. From the thousand-year-old temples and Torii gates and arts and crafts isolated from the rest of the world for decades, to internationally famous contemporary art and architecture, Japan has a long history to tell. 2016 was an important year, marking the 150th year of diplomatic relations between Japan and Belgium. We discovered the many initiatives underscoring the dialogue and friendship between East and West.
Japanese flavours
Cultural getaway
1 October 2016
This private guided tour of the Bruno Lussato and Marina Fédier Collection was led by art historian Constantin Chariot, who provided the keys to reading the priceless pieces of Mingei art. An introduction to the art of Haiku, a form of Japanese poetry, was followed by a guided tour of the Japanese gardens of Hasselt which reflect the Japanese landscape and are structured in strict accordance with all the style rules established by the Saku-tei- ki, the “garden design book”, dating back to the Heian period.
From Dordrecht to Wassenaar
Cultural getaway
20 August 2016
The Boghossian Foundation offered a visit to three exhibitions of the GlassFever festival. The first two, at the Dortyart Centre for Contemporary Art and the Huis van Gijn in Dordrecht, presented the glass creations of great international artists like Javier Pérez, Tony Cragg, Jan Fabre, Mimmo Paladino, Koen Vanmechelen and Jaime Hayon, produced by glassblowers from the Studio Berengo workshops in Murano. At the Dordrechts Museum, the third exhibition displayed contemporary artworks from the collection of the Fondazione Berengo, confronted in an often striking way with the Museum’s permanent collections. Finally, collectors Robert and Renée Drake offered an exclusive guided tour of their private collection of contemporary art.
Byzantine Istanbul
Cultural journey conceived by Cathy Boghossian
15 – 20 April 2016
Between its Antique past and its Ottoman period, Istanbul was for more than 1000 years the capital of the Byzantine Empire, a complex world lying between East and West, where Roman iconography combined with Greek culture and the Christian religion. These oriental influences gave this ensemble its specific colours, which moulded the West for centuries. During this exceptional journey, Bernard Coulie, professor of Byzantine Studies and Honorary Rector of the ULB, brought back to life the Byzantine world of this age-old city.
Brussels / Charleroi
Cultural getaway
12 December 2015
Curator Luc Delvaux led the tour of the Sarcophagi exhibition at the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels in the company of restorer Isabella Rosati (MRAH). Following this, Pierre-Olivier Rollin, director of BPS22 (Museum of Art of the Province of Hainaut) in Charleroi -, introduced the Friends of the Villa to the exhibition, The Inverted Worlds – Contemporary art and popular cultures. Artist Pauline Beugnies then received them for a tour of her exhibition, the Tahrir generation at the Museum of Photography in Mont-sur-Marchienne. This visit also provided an opportunity to also discover the Commissioned Photographs collection of the Lhoist group.
From Villa Cavrois to the Former Mons Slaughterhouses
Cultural getaway
22 August 2015
After a guided tour of the iconic Villa Cavrois in Croix (Lille), participants discovered the Jasper Morrison exhibition with Marie Pok, director of CID Grand Hornu. At the Manège de Sury in Mons, the Atopolis exhibition was unveiled to our visitor group by Dirk Snauwaert, director of WIELS and curator of the exhibition. The exhibition La Chine Ardente. Chinese monumental sculptures at the Former Mons Slaughterhouses offered a fascinating dive into the creatively effervescent world of contemporary Chinese artists.
Turquoise oases and desert cities
Cultural journey conceived by Cathy Boghossian
17 – 26 May 2015
This journey, organized by the Boghossian Foundation, took the Members of the Circle of the Villa to the heart of this complex country, in the footsteps of Cyrus, Darius and Alexander the Great. But the country’s history is written not only in its archaeological treasures: our visitors discovered the thousand dazzling facets of Iran, its nature, culture, poetry, its lifestyle and refined cuisine, its contemporary development and especially its endearing people.
South Korea, a country of the calm morning / Extension into North Korea
Cultural trip conceived by Cathy Boghossian
3 – 17 April 2014
The Boghossian Foundation organized a trip to South Korea, with the possibility of an extension to discover North Korea. South Korea preserves an intact heritage, that of the ancestral Land of the Morning Calm. To travel to Korea is to enter the heart of a hermit kingdom long forbidden to travellers. Mary Sun Kim, a Korean specializing in the history and culture of her country, enriched this trip with her knowledge.
The Golden Road of Samarkand
Cultural trip conceived by Cathy Boghossian
27 April – 5 May 2013
This unforgettable trip to Uzbekistan, led by Frédérique Beaupertuis-Bressand, a specialist in Timurid art and history, revealed the cultural and architectural wonders of this region at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Roads that linked the West to the Orient.
From Ararat to the Bosphorus
Cultural trip conceived by Cathy Boghossian
28 May – 4 June 2012
From Armenia to Istanbul, via Georgia, participants visited sites of great cultural and artistic worth in the company of personalities having detailed knowledge of their history and its nuances, who enriched this trip with their knowledge, passions and comments.
