Guest at van Buuren: art, architecture and art of living

The museum and gardens of David and Alice van Buuren form a rarely preserved total work of art in which art, architecture and refined art of living come together. The residence, built in 1928 in the style of the Amsterdamse School, was furnished without any financial restriction: the couple personally selected leading Belgian, French and Dutch designers to create a refined art-deco interior that has been preserved in its original state to this day. De Van Buurens received an exclusive circle of guests consisting of artists, politicians and international personalities here, which gives the house an almost mythical allure. Inside, the intimacy of their private world still prevails. Every piece of furniture, carpet, work of art and stained glass window was chosen with exceptional care by a couple who had an infallible eye for art and design. David van Buuren was both a good friend and patron of Gustave Van de Woestijne and owned no fewer than 31 paintings by him. The art collection also includes works by, among others, Hercule Seghers, Georges Minne, James Ensor and Rik Wouters, and belongs to the most remarkable private collections in Belgium. The surrounding gardens reflect that same refinement. They were designed at the instigation of Alice van Buuren by the two greatest Belgian landscape architects of their time: Jules Buyssens and René Pechère. A recent restoration was awarded the European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award and is considered a textbook example of respectful heritage care. During the guided tour you will discover both the museum house and the gardens exactly as the Van Buurens had intended them: unique, elegant and imbued with an artistic vision.