Nearly 100 works trace 130 years of Belgian art, placing the haunting world of Léon Spilliaert in conversation with artists from James Ensor to Michaël Borremans.
This autumn, one of Brussels’ most beautiful Art Deco settings turns its attention to the darker side of Belgian art. Opening at Villa Empain on 22 October, Soleil Noir brings together nearly 100 works by Belgian artists, with the enigmatic Léon Spilliaert at the centre of the exhibition.
Rather than presenting Spilliaert as an isolated figure, the Boghossian Foundation places his work alongside artists from different generations. The result spans some 130 years of Belgian artistic creation, drawing connections between Spilliaert and his contemporaries as well as artists working long after his lifetime.
Inside the World of Léon Spilliaert
Born in Ostend in 1881, Léon Spilliaert developed a visual language that remains remarkably distinctive. His work is often characterised by shadow, solitude, strange perspectives and an atmosphere of psychological unease. The North Sea, deserted streets and the human figure became recurring subjects, while his self-portraits are among his most recognisable works.
Soleil Noir approaches this world thematically rather than simply chronologically. Self-portraiture, the nude, melancholy, landscape and the North Sea all form part of the exhibition’s journey.
At its heart is an exceptional group of around 30 works by Spilliaert. These are placed in dialogue with artists including James Ensor, Constant Permeke, Edgar Tytgat, George Minne and Henry Van de Velde.
The connections are particularly fitting given Spilliaert’s relationship with Ostend. The Belgian coast was not simply a backdrop to his work; its sea, promenades, darkness and changing atmosphere became recurring elements of his artistic identity.
From Ensor to Borremans
What makes Soleil Noir more ambitious than a conventional Spilliaert retrospective is what happens beyond his own work.
The exhibition looks at how ideas and sensibilities found within this tradition of Belgian art continued to resonate with later generations. Works by contemporary and post-war figures including Luc Tuymans, Thierry De Cordier, Hans Op de Beeck and Michaël Borremans extend the conversation into the present.
Bringing these artists together allows visitors to see recurring concerns within Belgian art across very different periods: introspection, ambiguity, melancholy and an interest in what lies beneath an apparently ordinary image.
It also gives the exhibition an unusual breadth. Visitors familiar with Spilliaert and Ensor can encounter their work from a different perspective, while those more interested in contemporary Belgian art will find familiar names connected to a much longer artistic lineage.
Belgian Art Across 130 Years
There is something particularly appealing about an exhibition devoted entirely to Belgian artists while refusing to confine itself to one movement or generation.
Across almost a century and a half, Soleil Noir asks what connects artists separated by decades of social and artistic change. Rather than arguing for a single Belgian style, it looks for echoes: similar moods, subjects and ways of looking at the world that reappear in different forms.
Spilliaert becomes the thread running through that story. His lonely figures, unsettling interiors and atmospheric landscapes provide a natural starting point for exploring how melancholy and introspection have repeatedly surfaced within Belgian visual culture.
The exhibition is curated by Louma Salamé and Noémie Goldman.
A Setting Made for the Exhibition
The setting should add another dimension to the experience. Villa Empain, home of the Boghossian Foundation, is itself one of Brussels’ architectural landmarks.
Designed by Swiss-Belgian architect Michel Polak for Baron Louis Empain, the Art Deco villa provides a striking backdrop for exhibitions, with its geometric interiors, luxurious materials, gardens and monumental swimming pool.
That combination of architecture and art makes Villa Empain worth visiting even before considering the exhibition itself. For Soleil Noir, its elegant yet atmospheric interiors should prove particularly well suited to Spilliaert’s mysterious visual world.
For anyone interested in discovering Belgian art beyond the country’s most familiar names, Soleil Noir looks set to be one of Brussels’ most compelling exhibitions of the autumn.
KEY INFO
Tickets
Exhibition: Soleil Noir
Where: Boghossian Foundation – Villa Empain
Address: Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 67, 1050 Ixelles, Brussels
Dates: 22 October 2026 – 19 March 2027
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00–18:00
Admission: €14 standard admission; free with museumPASSmusées
Website: Villa Empain / Boghossian Foundation
Artists: Léon Spilliaert alongside James Ensor, Constant Permeke, Edgar Tytgat, George Minne, Henry Van de Velde, Luc Tuymans, Thierry De Cordier, Hans Op de Beeck, Michaël Borremans and others
Curators: Louma Salamé and Noémie Goldman
