Collection

Entrance hall and royal box at the Théâtre de la Monnaie

  • Date 1984-1986
  • Address Place de la Monnaie – 1000 Bruxelles

“Brussels must serve as the unifying force bringing together major national and international cultural forces. Have you noticed that the work carried out by the National Opera explores the foreign? The TRM intrigues and creates obligations for the future, a duty for what lies ahead…”

The renovation of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie is one of the major projects spearheaded by Gérard Mortier. The project, which is both ambitious and sensitive (as it involves one of the great symbols of the country’s history), has been entrusted to the temporary consortium Urbat (J. Aron, P. Puttemans and F. De Becker) / A2RC (Libois, Verliefden and D’Helft) and combines heritage considerations with contemporary interventions. These are evident in the construction of a second foyer and the transformation of the hall and the royal lounge.

Just as at Middelheim, Vandenhove was invited to contribute not as an architect but as an artist, and was appointed Gérard Mortier’s ‘artistic adviser’. In March 1986, Vandenhove’s proposal concerned the redesign of the forecourt, the pronaos, the vestibule and the royal drawing room. For budgetary reasons, only the vestibule and the royal drawing room were carried out.

Much like his brilliant intervention at the Hôtel Torrentius, the project proposed by Vandenhove establishes a dialogue between historic architecture – in this case, typical of the 19th century – and a contemporary aesthetic in which several visual artists play a central role. In the lobby, the floor, laid with Vinalmont and Carrara marble, incorporates a pyramid design by Sol LeWitt, whilst the ceiling features an abstract work by Sam Francis. Designed by Charles Vandenhove, two columns with black and white drums provide a visual link between the floor and the ceiling.

In the royal drawing room, the architect ‘monumentalises’ a small space by playing with perspectives. Daniel Buren’s design makes a bold statement, consisting of alternating bands of red (Philippeville marble) and white (Carrara marble) that run across the floor and continue up the panelling: ‘rhythm, phrasing, syncopation, accent, with the floor as the key’, to quote Buren. Adding rhythm to the space, two Carrara marble pillars designed by Charles Vandenhove are topped with polished bronze capitals – one in the shape of a pyramid, the other a truncated pyramid – whilst a plaster cast by Paolini, evoking Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, is positioned to one side.

Guest artists: Daniel Buren, Sam Francis, Sol LeWitt, Giulio Paolini, Charles Vandenhove.

  • Description of the collection

    Plans, specifications, correspondence, photographic records…
  • Volumetry 1 archive box (0.12 m)
  • AUTHOR AND DATE OF THE ENTRY Sébastien Charlier, 2022