From Ciamberlani to Emile Fabry, symbolism at Hôtel de ville de Saint-Gilles

Arkadia invites you to discover the Town Hall of the municipality of Saint-Gilles through its symbolist painters. Erected in 1904, this imposing neo-Renaissance building is the apotheosis of Saint-Gilles artistic activity. The best painters of the era are called upon to decorate the majestic Hôtel de ville de Saint-Gilles designed by the architect Albert Dumont (1853-1920). The interior decoration of the Town Hall is, through the choice of artists and the quality of the works, a true manifesto of early 20th-century Belgian art. The execution of the monumental paintings of the hall of honor and the rooms of Europe, marriages, and the Council was entrusted to representative artists of Belgian Symbolism: Albert Ciamberlani, Emile Fabry, Henri Ottevaere, Omer Dierickx, and Fernand Khnopff. Nude or lightly veiled bodies, timeless in an idealized world, represent the virtues defended by the municipality, civic affairs, the various trades of industry and commerce, or even the seasons. This will be an opportunity to discover these paintings in detail!