Club past activities

The University Foundation organizes lots of activities for the members of the Club. Below you can see short reviews of some past activities. A more complete list can be seen on the French or Dutch web pages.

 - (May 26 2015)

Lunch at the University Foundation, followed by a short lecture on "Bibliophily and the Art of the Book", an introduction to the exhibition Op reis in mijn bibiotheek - Voyages dans ma bibliothèque and a guided tour of the exhibition in the Royal Library with Charles Prion Pansius, Vice-chairman of "The Royal Belgian Association of Bibliophiles and Iconophiles" .

 - (May 11 2015)

Third activity in the cycle of lunch debates on the theme «A World of Cities» which the University Foundation organises, in collaboration with "la Fondation pour l’environnement urbain Pierre Laconte", for the members of the Foundation and also for a larger public (faculties, economic, social and cultural organisations, ...). 

This debate was introduced by Paola Vigano.

Paola Vigano teaches at Harvard university and the university of Venice. With the recently deceased Bernardo Secchi she realized numerous urbanistic development projects in the world, also in Belgium (development plan for Antwerp, the project "SpoorNoord", the design of the city center of Kortrijk, and a vison on Brussels 2040). Se will dwell on the main ideas which underly her projects, her personal views on urbanism, as well as other ilmportant international views such as «Internationale Bau Austellungen»

 - (May 07 2015)

Guided visit to the exhibition «Marc Chagall» in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts, preceeded by a lunch at the University Foundation at 12.30 pm.

Over 200 works of Marc Chagall have been gathered worldwide for this major retrospective exhibition. From early paintings of 1908 to his final, monumental works of the 1980s, the show offers a rich overview of the painter’s artistic career.

The exhibition presents the main themes of his work, in particular his connection with Jewish culture, the iconography of the shtetl, folk traditions, but also his discovery of 17th century literature such as La Fontaine, the revelation of light and the particular use of colour. 

Special attention is given to his Russian period at a time his personal style stands out in an avant-garde art scene featured by the cubist revolution.

The original poetic language of Chagall is faithfully revived and the visitors are immersed in his amazing artistic world influenced by different cultures and traditions.

 - (May 04 2015 to Jun 11 2015)

As in recent years, we are able, thanks to our good relations with the organisation, to offer our Club members good seats fior the Queen Elisabeth Competition 2015 (Violin)

The reader is referred to the website pages in French or Dutch for further information.

 - (Apr 28 2015)

Lunch debate “The failure of Napoleon's imperial dream” with Prof. Emile Lamberts, Emeritus professor of KU Leuven, Founder and past chairman of KADOC (Center fro documentation and research on religion, culture and society), author of "Europeaan tegen wil en dank. In de voorhoede van Napoleons Grande Armée (1805-1813) ". 

 - (Apr 24 2015)

Second activity in the cycle of lunch debates on the theme «A World of Cities» which the University Foundation organises, in collaboration with "la Fondation pour l’environnement urbain Pierre Laconte", for the members of the Foundation and also for a larger public (faculties, economic, social and cultural organisations, ...).

Debate introduced by Rector Didiers Viviers and Dean Francis Metzger.

Rector Didier VIVIERS discusses the situation of the ULB in Brussels, the problems and opportunities. Brussels is the main university city in the country. The University ULB is the most important employer of Brussels (8,000 employees). However its infrastructure does not match its ecomomic weight. An urbanistic and architectural opportunity is generated by the army buildings which become vacant. This yields opportunities for the development of research activities and of student housing integrated in the city quarters.

Professor Francis Mezger, internationally known architect, was awarded three times the "Europa Nostra Award" (renovation of the Villa Empain, renovation of the Library Solvay, renovation of the "Autrique House") and the Award "Quartier des Arts" for the ongoing renoavation of the Central Staion. He discusses the architectural challenges of the ULB and also the challenges imposed by the obligation to reduce the energy consumption in the design, the realisation and the maintenance of its buildings.

 - (Apr 23 2015)

Guided visit to the exhibition "Renaisance Portraits from the Low Countries" in Bozar, followed by a dinner at the University Foundation.

The art of portraiture really flourished during the Renaissance. The individual was given a place in society and wealthy citizens were keen to have their portrait painted. FACES THEN is an exhibition of 50 portraits from the 16th century by masters such as Quentin Metsys, Joos van Cleve and Joachim Beuckelaer. They immortalised their contemporaries in astonishingly deft and extremely detailed, almost photorealistic paintings. These portraits were painted in the main centres of the Netherlands and often had a different role to play.

 - (Mar 25 2015)

Gala concert of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel with the National Orchestra of Belgium

Eivind Aadland conductor - Kobayashi Kaito piano - Sarah Laulan alt - Woo-Hyung Kim violin - National Orchestra of Belgium - Octopus Mannenkoor

Programme

Johannes Brahms,  Variations on a theme from Haydn, op. 56a

                               Rhapsody, for alto, male choir and orchestra, op. 53 

Frédéric Chopin,  Concerto for piano and orchestra, nr. 1, op. 11

Pyotr Tchaikovsky,  Concerto for violin and orchestra, op. 35

 - (Mar 17 2015)

 

First activity in the cycle of lunch debates on the theme «A World of Cities» which the University Foundation organises, in collaboration with "la Fondation pour l’environnement urbain Pierre Laconte", for the members of the Foundation and also for a larger public (faculties, economic, social and cultural organisations, ...).

In times of scepticism on the European project we wished to give the floor to two speakers who represent the cultural approach to Europe:

Bernard COULIE (Honorary Rector of UC Louvain), specialist of paneuropean culture, in particular of the byzantine world, will speak on the European mix, of which the cities are an important example. He will sketch the Greek origins, the Roman fortifications, which have become open cities with respect to their surroundings. In the Middle Ages the cities became fortified units and later again turned to be open entities. This European model is characterized by centralisation, a continouos tissu of the city, the mixture of functions, cultural identity and biodiversity. This model contrasts with the "islamic model" with closed entities of connected streets and separate functions (kashba’s, riads).  

Domenico ROSSETTI di VALDALBERO (European Commission), descendent of the famous Renaissance urbanist Biagio Rossetti (who designed Ferrare, one of the earliest modern cities), will discuss the European model of urban development, showing the position of the European city with respect to cities in the other continents. He identifies 60 cities "with European flavour". In particular Brussels is characterized by a mixture of royal, civil and religious functions. If the European city succeeds in making use of its past but remains open to the world and to the future, it will earn its place in the post-modern city structure.

 - (Mar 12 2015)

Guided visit to the exhibition “The Ottoman Orient in Renaissance Art” in Bozar, followed by a dinner at the University Foundation.

On 29 May 1453 the Ottomans took Constantinople. News of the city’s fall spread throughout Europe. The approach of the Ottomans coincided with the emergence of a veritable fascination with this highly developed culture and its scientific refinement. Artists from every corner of Europe travelled to the shores of the Bosphorus; trade flourished, and so did cultural interchange, giving rise to a great number of artworks showing this intercultural dynamic. The exhibition shows the lure of the Near East for Western artists and draws attention to the influence of the Islamic world on Renaissance thought. With works of Bellini, Carpaccio, Dürer, Titiaan and others. 

 

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