Celebrating INTERNATIONAL COLOUR DAY: Walk & Talk / Meet & Learn in Brussels
A visit to Design Museum Brussels and the exhibition: Untold Stories – Women Designers in Belgium 1880-1980, with Javier Gimeno-Martinez, co-curator of the exhibition
Join us at our next ICA-Belgium’s Walk & Talk / Meet & Learn and let’s celebrate the International Colour Day together!
We will be visiting the exhibition: Untold Stories – Women Designers in Belgium 1880-1980, guided byJavier Gimeno-Martinez, co-curator of the exhibition.
Javier Gimeno-Martínez is an associate professor of design history and theory at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His research interest encompasses issues of national identity and displacement as related to design. His articles have been published in academic journals such as Journal of Design History, Design Issues, Design and Culture, The Burlington Magazine and Urban Studies. He is the author of the books Design and National Identity (Bloomsbury Academic, 2016) and Design History and Culture. Methods and Approaches (Routledge, 2025). He is a member of the International Committee for Design History and Design Studies (ICDHS).
About the exhibition:
For the first time, the works of more than 50 women designers and makers active in Belgium between 1880 and 1980 are brought together. Objects from a wide range of disciplines, from applied and graphic arts to product and interior design, sourced from several museums and private collections, are displayed, many of which have never been shown to the public before.
Examples range from the overlooked productions of Maria Sèthe to the Belgian Art Nouveau to Hélène Denis-Bohy’s bold modern typography for her feminist pamphlets printed on the La Cambre printing press; from extraordinary Belle Époque ceramics by designers trained at Belgium’s first professional school for women to anonymous lacework in raffia made in Congolese missionary schools. The exhibition showcases the significant but under-valued creativity of women in diverse fields of crafts and design from an original, thematic approach.
Through a focus on visibility, the show examines how women used design as a means of empowerment, signing their work, asserting their presence in exhibitions and making significant advancements in the field.
Simultaneously, the exhibition addresses the challenges of invisibility faced by women designers. Their authorship was frequently obscured because of societal norms, social class, their behind-the-scenes work or within collaborative environments. This exploration will reveal instances where their contributions were overlooked, wrongly attributed or remained unrecognised, leading to a lack of knowledge of their work and its recognition.
This exhibition also delves into the professionalisation of women designers, tracing their journey as they navigated educational institutions (as pupils and teachers), organisations and networks to establish themselves within professional circles.
Lastly, the realm of domesticity demonstrates how women, often from within and for the decoration of their homes, created their own visual and material culture and surroundings. This exploration will underscore how women makers, whether as individuals or collectively, employed their ingenuity and resourcefulness to express their vision.
Let’s celebrate the International Colour Day by exploring this fascinating exhibition and meeting each other. There will be time to talk and share about the impressions, news, ideas… See you on the 23rd of March!
When:
23 March 2025, at 13:45
Where:
Design Museum Brussels Place de la Belgique 1 – 1020 Brussels
Registration:
Send an email to ica@ica-belgium.org and let us know you are coming.
Price:
Ticket to be bought on site (10 € full price, 8 € for teachers, students, 65+, free with museumPASSmusées / Brussels Card / ICOM)
Language:
English
Duration:
The guided tour lasts 1 hour
Access:
The Design Museum Brussels is located in the Northern part of the city of Brussels, right opposite Hall 5 from the Heysel exhibition park and 150m from the Atomium.
Metro: line 6 – station Heizel / Heysel
Tram: line 7 and 62 – station Heizel / Heysel
Bus: line 83 – station Heizel / Heysel
Car : Parking of 500 paying places at 50m from the entrance [Parking Trade Mart – Avenue de l’Atomium]. The Brussels Design Museum does not have private or guarded parking facilities. However, paid parkings in public areas and private parking are available to visitors.
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