One of the strangest houses in Brussels stands in the quiet Rue du Métal in Saint-Gilles. Built in Flemish Renaissance style, the brick building is decorated with elaborate ironwork and a massive wood door. A sign half buried in wisteria reads Ecole de Peinture.
Not many people know about the art school behind that solid wood door. It is one of the only schools in the world where students are taught the traditional art of trompe l’oeil wood and marble painting. The graduates go on to decorate palaces, boutiques and private homes across Europe and America.
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.
