De Viron Castle

Jean Brusselmans

Still Life of a Flower Arrangement

Trougnouf - CC Wikimedia

Gemeenteplein 1, Dilbeek

Unwind with Jean Brusselmans’ Still Life of a Flower Arrangement in the eclectic, 19th-century De Viron Castle. During the day you have the opportunity to take in the perfume of Brusselmans’ roses, at night the bats leave the icehouse to go hunting.

Trougnouf - CC Wikimedia

De Viron Castle

De Viron Castle was designed in 1862 by the architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar. The De Viron family bought the estate in 1787. Théodore de Viron converted the original 13th-century moated castle into an eclectic masterpiece designed by Cluysenaar. The Saint Alena tower behind the castle is the only remnant of the demolished moated castle. Cluysenaar combined Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Gothic and Neo-Tudor elements. The 365 windows, 52 doors, 12 roof towers, 7 staircases and 1 main entrance refer to the Julian calendar. The castle has a symmetrical structure with corner towers and a playful combination of stylistic elements such as stepped gables, arched friezes and balconies. After the German occupation during World War I, the municipality bought the castle and park in 1923. From 1924, it served as Dilbeek's town hall. Next to the castle you will find a subterranean icehouse where food was stored. Today it is inhabited by bats.

Still Life of a Flower Arrangement, Jean Brusselmans

Jean Brusselmans (1884-1953) developed a passion for painting during his early childhood. He found inspiration in popular prints for young people, an early example of comic books. After meeting painters such as Rik Wouters and Edgard Tytgat, he shifted his focus to everyday topics. Interest in his work only came later in his life, with a retrospective at the Palace of Fine Arts in Brussels in 1950.
In 1911, Brusselmans settled in Dilbeek. He died in 1953 and was buried there. The painting Still Life of a Flower Arrangement (1939) is still present in the town hall in Dilbeek today. Brusselmans donated it in gratitude for the support he received from Social Welfare (the former OCMW). Typical of Brusselmans’ work is the fusion of simple lines, figurative abstraction and areas of colour. Vases with flowers are quite common in his oeuvre in reflection of what he saw in his immediate surroundings.