Heritage Days
Since 1989, the Heritage Days have been one of Belgium’s most keenly anticipated cultural events, drawing in thousands of visitors from Brussels, Wallonia, Flanders and beyond. The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage will participate in the activities supported by urban.brussels with a special programme linked to the festivities for its 75th anniversary.
On the road with KIK-IRPA
The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) invites you to rediscover Brussels and its heritage from the point of view of its specialists, who have been cataloguing, studying and preserving Belgium's cultural and artistic heritage for the past 75 years, far from the public eye. Whether in the Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon, where a triptych by Michiel Coxcie has just been reinstalled after a period of study and restoration by the Painting Studio, or at the Théâtre Royal de Toone where, at the request of Urban.brussels, an inventory and studies are being carried out by the institute's historians and its Preventive Conservation Unit, or at the Cauchie House, where the Decoration of Monuments Unit has completed analyses... You will quickly realise that each site requires a tailor-made, interdisciplinary approach, in collaboration with a large number of stakeholders. This is an opportunity to discover the current issues as climate and societal change reveal the importance of working together to imagine the future of our heritage. The tour will end at KIK-IRPA with an exclusive visit to the Polychrome Wood Sculpture Studio, where an altarpiece from Milan by Brussels sculptor Jan II Borman is being restored following an in-depth study.
Duration: 2h30
Places available per tour: 18 people
Saturday 16 September at 10 am (FR) and 2 pm (NL/EN)
Sunday 17 September at 10 am (NL/EN) and 2 pm (FR)
Maison Cauchie - Guided tour with expert
Saved from destruction in 1975 and restored for over fifteen years from 1980 onwards, it has been the subject of a new study over the last two years by the firm Architectures Parallèles and KIK-IRPA. This research has shed light on some of the decor that disappeared over 50 years ago. During this visit, discover the eventful life of the Maison Cauchie and learn more about the research and techniques of the IRPA scientists from our expert Emmanuelle Job from the Cellule des décors de monuments.
Address: Rue des Francs 5, 1040 Etterbeek
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Groups: maximum 15 participants (including teachers and/or accompanying adults)
Times: Sunday 17 September at 11 am (FR), 1 pm (NL), 2 pm (FR) and 3 pm (NL)
Restaurée
KIK-IRPA has given carte blanche to the Centre du Film sur l'Art, an institution that has devoted over four decades to the preservation, study and dissemination of documentary films focusing on artistic creation. Their choice was the film Restaurée by Franco-Iranian director Anaïs Enshaian. Released in 2022, the film delves into the delicate world of restoring works of art. But far from being a simple technical documentary, Restored draws strength from the director's personal story. Anaïs' mother, who recently died of cancer, was an art restorer. The film explores profound contemporary themes such as maternal sacrifice for the creation of others and philosophical reflections on restoration as an act of defiance in the face of death. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Anaïs Enshaian, providing a valuable opportunity for exchange and reflection.
CINEMATEK
Saturday 16 September at 7 pm
Restaurée - Anaïs Enshaian - 2022 - 68’
Upcoming KIK-IRPA events
The Archduchess Isabella (1566-1633). Artistic Agency between Madrid and the Southern Netherlands
The twenty-third Art History Seminar of the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) is organised in collaboration with the research project AGENART at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM). It will take place on 12th-13th September 2024 at the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage and at the Instituto Cervantes, both in Brussels, highlighting various fascinating aspects of the artistic patronage of the remarkable woman who was the Archduchess Isabella, who lived in Madrid and Brussels between 1566 and 1633.