Kurt Peiser and the Marolles

In its final exhibition before the gallery is refurbished, the Parenthesis Space will be presenting the realistic and sensitive works of Kurt Peiser. In 2025, the Museum acquired 79 of his works. Discover around thirty of these pieces, which bear witness to everyday life and the history of the Marolles district during the interwar period. Kurt Peiser (1887–1962), takes an honest yet sensitive view of his adopted home city of Brussels. He walks around the capital, paying special attention to the Marolles. In this way he becomes a uniquely close observer of that neighbourhood. Through his engravings and drawings, the artist captures the everyday spirit of its narrow streets, bustling cul-de-sacs and the people living in the shadow of the Palace of Justice. He immortalises the men and women he meets in the taverns along the Rue Haute and in the public spaces. Rejecting all forms of sentimentalised misery, Kurt Peiser’s portraits reveal the dignity, inner lives and humanity of the people who make up the fabric of this neighbourhood. A century later, his works still have the power to move us. In 2025, the Brussels City Museum acquired a collection of 79 works by Kurt Peiser. Created mainly in the 1920s, around thirty of them are on display at the Brussels City Museum. This major acquisition allows the museum to continue with its mission: to tell the story of Brussels in all its richness and highlight the lives of the men and women who have lived in the city, shaping it and giving it life over the years.