Rik Wouters and Old England

Five of the ‘girls’ including me, from the Hotel Martin’s coffee morning each week, went to Brussels for a Day Out last Friday. I love sight seeing alone generally but a small group outing is hard to beat! We had an unbelievable amount of chat and shared moments throughout the day but the two main objects of desire, Museum of Musical Instruments in the building marked Old England, and the Musee des Beaux Arts for the Rik Wouters’ exhibition, more than lived up to expectations. The Old England is part of the Art Deco and Art Nouveau treasures of Brussels and is a delight to see. The museum itself with over 2000 historical musical instruments on several floors offers myriad interesting and often arresting examples of musical art. We had lunch in the restaurant on the top floor and that is stunning in its architecture and views. We genially tolerated the slow service [too many diners with too few staff] as we talked and feasted on the glorious windows and ironwork. Almost all of the senses were satisfied when I tasted my boudins blancs et noirs with apple. It is a mark of maturity to savour the disparate sensory pleasures in a conscious way which we did, rather noisily.

 Dame en Bleu Devant Une Glace
 

 Nel, Rik Wouters' wife and muse

Afterwards a stroll to the Musee des Beaux Arts to see the first day of the Rik Wouters’ exhibition. I had never heard of Rik Wouters till two members of my English group at the Amsterdam on Thursdays told me about him and said an exhibition of his work was coming to Brussels. Next morning, before leaving for the station, I Googled and discovered the exhibition was opening that very day. I am SO grateful not to have missed it. It is a large and important retrospective of his work with loans from many collectors, virtually one hundred years after his early death in Amsterdam in July 1916 at the premature ago of 33. He was a prolific artist, given his short and rather sad life, and considered avant garde throughout that life. How bereft Nel, his wife, muse and inspiration, must have felt when he died, she having been almost entirely his sole model; they must have spent almost all their time together. He was a Fauvist painter and sculptor, influenced greatly by his hero, James Ensor, and later by Cezanne and Renoir. Indeed, there are distinct echoes of Impressionism in his highly colourful work which consists almost entirely of domestic scenes. His sculpture is memorable; many busts of Nel in different guises; several of children, my absolute favourite being the clay model [for a subsequent bronze] of Baby Dribbling. I think it could evoke maternal emotions in the average female S.S.guard. Particularly impressive is the three quarter length model of a middle aged James Ensor. There is a majestic presence about it which commands attention and respect.

The majestic James Ensor

As a gentle start to the following day’s post-excursion fatigue, after my Saturday coffee at Cafune, to the Sue Ryder Boutique in Katelijnestraat to take clothes I love but never seem to wear. Unusually, I took time to look around and was rewarded with a frightfully upmarket black and white, slightly padded jacket by Anne Belin of which label I have never heard though the assistant adopted a most respectful attitude towards it which impressed! And then home to read the excellent New York Times, a favourite occupation these days, made all the more desirable since I have learned it is on Trump's list of Despised Media apparently peddling Fake News.

Post Script

Wandering homewards Saturday early afternoon, I saw an interesting group of jesters on the Markt. Further investigation revealed one elf was carrying a Brugse Zot carrier bag so it was perhaps not an expression of group levity; just an advertising stunt. 

One giant chief with his elves