The art deco Villa Empain on Avenue Franklin Roosevelt in Brussels was commissioned in 1930 by Louis Empain, son of the rich banker Edouard Empain. Designed by Swiss architect Michel Polak, it could be the home of a Hollywood movie star. There is even a swimming pool at the back that seems the perfect setting for glamourous parties.
Soon after it was completed, Empain donated the villa to the Belgian state. It was meant to be a cultural centre, but the government handed it over to the Soviet Union as an embassy. Then it became a TV studio.
Currently run by the Boghossian Foundation, the villa has been lovingly restored by Brussels architects MA2. And now, finally, it is a cultural centre. It has an inspiring programme of exhibitions on art, architecture and design. (The current exhibition looks at artists’ jewellery.)
You can visit the dazzling jazz age interior, sit in the garden next to the swimming pool (but not swim) and eat lunch in Edouard Empain’s little smoking room.
Film fans should look out for the Villa Empain in the opening scene in François Ozon’s new film Mon Crime.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
