If you own a valuable art collection and thought of temporarily share it outside the walls of your private home or basement , here is the perfect option.
In an elegant neighborhood of Brussels, precisely at rue du Châtelain the French couple Myriam and Amaury de Solages, have founded a non-profit organization that supports an interesting artistic project . This unique initiative is nestled in an elegant Belgian townhouse that they have called Maison Pariticuliere.
In this private residence now open to the public since April 2011, temporary art exhibits are organized together with art collectors under different themes proposed by Amaury and Myriam and shared for a period of three months.
As I am walking in the sunny afternoon I notice at my right an tall stunning African wood sculpture behind a large entrance glass door and a white curtain wall. Intrigued by a view of a green internal backyard I sneak in and ask an elegant lady if it’s possible to explore the space , I carry in my hand a press card. I am asked kindly by an assistant to wait a few minutes in the impressive entrance hall.
Eclectic in style, the building was built around 1880 by architect Jean Léon Janlet and entirely renovated into the current art center. Natural light bathes the interior. Graced by the a small curving garden in layers of green and white designed by Jean Philippe Miest, the house is truly a gem of a showcase for art collections.
A young and charming lady with no make up on and dressed in a sober but very stylish skirt and sweater comes my way , it’s Myriam. After checking my website out for a long while , Myriam offers to enjoy at my ease the distinctive floor plan featured by three stories with a series of interconnected sitting areas on each level , a library and a dining room. She then invites me for a coffee in the cozy library once I will be done with my tour.
I walk into the luxurious elevator and arrive on the last floor. Passing by ” The perfect woman is a lie ” I immediately sense the intensity of the exhibition and atmosphere whose theme ‘ Femininity’ catches directly my psyche. In a small flier I read ” to combine the bipolarity of man and woman, of zero and one, is to bring together elements, not in contradiction, but rather inseparable ”
The art works is sensually provocative and like magnets attract my attention traveling throughout the pristine walled rooms of the residence. . The modernist furniture, exquisitely selected for this theme by Pierre Hoet and Didier Bindels of Instore partners in the project, is trendy and bright.
I am now ready for that coffee . In the cozy library whose fireplace is surrounded by collector’s pieces, impeccably white sofas , armchairs in cow skin and galuchat 1930 furniture, Myriam introduces me to her husband the French financier Amaury de Solage. As it’s common in Europe not to share details about one’s personal life socially , Amaury instead will discourse with passion about his devotion in sponsoring a space where the art dialogue and emotional experience derived are romanticized, lived and often enlightened among enthusiasts.
When asked at my last sip of delicious coffee what will be next , Amaury pauses, crosses his legs on the comfortable couch, smiles at his wife Myriam and answers me ” what I am supposed to know by now know” that when a man meets a woman for the first time they don’t kiss immediately…It’s a process of feelings, learning , staring before he decides where the connection will take him .
Relatively satisfied with his reply , I packing my camera into my handbag and before leaving or say goodbye, I turn back for a last look in the direction of the beautiful untouched old piano and I try quickly to recall where exactly my parents have kept that Giacometti they had bough many, many years ago.
The House: Maison Particuliere
Myriam de Solage Blog ( Lovely!) Saveurs en Balade
