Timeless gazes

The Boghossian Foundation and the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art jointly present an exhibition celebrating ancient Egypt and contemporary art in relation to the African continent.

For the first time in Belgium, approximately 130 works from the prestigious collection assembled by Jean Claude Gandur is exhibited in the unique setting of the Villa Empain.

Organised around eight successive themes, the exhibition explores the depiction of the gaze and one’s perception of their environment. On the one hand, it presents breathtaking examples of daily life and funerary art, including figurines, amulets, and sarcophagus masks. On the other hand, it features iconic characters from the Pharaonic period, such as Ramses II, illustrated by a bust in red granite, dating from the second half of the second millennium BC.

The itinerary showcases recent works by living artists who are closely connected to the rich diversity of the African continent.

More than 40 paintings, photographs, and sculptures from the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art’s collection of African Contemporary Art and of the Diaspora foster a lively and engaging dialogue on topics that already mattered at the time of the Pharaohs.

Committed to building bridges between peoples and enriching the collective memory, the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art shares the fundamental goal of the Boghossian Foundation, which seeks to foster dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures. With this in mind, the invitation to invest the Villa Empain, where past and present meet, gains particular significance.

Film with Jean Claude Gandur, collector and Chairman Founder of the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art, Jean Boghossian, President and Founder of the Boghossian Foundation, and curators Xavier Droux, Olivia Fahmy, and Aurélie Quirion.