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Gaasbeek Castle isn\u2019t far from the thronging city of Brussels, but it is a million miles away with its calming ambiance and leafy location. It\u2019s a former stately home of charm and architectural beauty, and serves as a venue for the Feast of Fools: Bruegel Rediscovered exhibition.<\/p>\n
The original castle was built in the thirteenth century as part of the defences of Brussels. Over the following centuries it was destroyed and rebuilt several times. The castle was eventually changed into a peaceful summer home and was owned by a succession of Belgium\u2019s noble families. Lamoraal, Count of Egmond, was one of the most celebrated residents. In the late eighteenth century, the castle was sold to the wealthy Italian Arconati Visconti family.<\/p>\n
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, Marchioness Arconati Visconti converted the castle into a more contemporary home, after the death of her husband. She transformed the rooms to contain her collections. Much is in the Neo-Renaissance style, which was the Marchioness\u2019 favourite historic period. In 1921, the Marchioness gave the castle to the Belgian State. Three years later, the castle reopened as a museum but still retaining the air of a sumptuous home.<\/p>\n
The exhibition \u201cFeast of Fools\u201d celebrates a large number of 20th-century artists who have been influenced by Bruegel, one of Flanders\u2019 most famous citizens. It is a sad truth that many people would not be able to point to Flanders on a map, but most will recognise the name of this iconic artist.<\/p>\n
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The exhibition features not only more contemporary paintings but also music, the written word and film. It\u2019s a unique opportunity to learn more about Bruegel\u2019s fascination of simple folk, and his disguised and cryptic social statements which would perhaps have been more readily understood in his day.<\/p>\n
The Flemish countryside inspired Bruegel. His winter landscapes of 1565, such as The Hunters in the Snow, attest to the severity of winters during the Little Ice Age. Bruegel often painted local feasts and celebrations, as in The Peasant Wedding. He and his friends would shamelessly gate-crash such events in order to find material for future works. It is said that many of these party-goers have been faithfully represented on canvas. Now we can see following generations taking inspiration from Bruegel\u2019s subject matter.<\/p>\n
He often depicted people with disabilities, such as in The Blind Leading the Blind.\u00a0 Even the able-bodied characters are far from beautiful, and frequently drunk. His style would lend itself to being transformed into animation, in these modern times. One gazes at the work of this renowned artist and visualises the lives of the village people, their relationships and their sense of fun.<\/p>\n
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Creation by Rimini Protokoll<\/h4>\nThe Gaasbeek Castle Feast of Fools: Bruegel Rediscovered exhibition also presents a creation by Rimini Protokoll, one of Germany\u2019s most creative theatre companies. They have developed a striking immersive Virtual Reality installation that focuses on the contemporary food industry, with the ironic title: \u2018Feast of Food\u2019. There are numerous references to food in Bruegel\u2019s paintings, and there are other works and installations here giving a nod to Bruegel.<\/p>\n
Learn more about Gaasbeek Castle and its exhibitions throughout the year here <\/a><\/p>\n