Wiertz Museum

The Wiertz Museum in Ixelles, Brussels, occupies the former studio of Belgian artist Antoine Wiertz. Its rooms hold his large, dramatic paintings, smaller sketches and sculptures, with works inspired by artists such as Rubens and Michelangelo. The grand hall is the place to focus on the enormous canvases, including scenes of struggle and works with a startling, almost caricature-like quality. Admission is free, and the quiet setting makes this a manageable stop if you are exploring the European Quarter. The neighbouring Citizens’ Garden is another peaceful place to pause.

Inside Wiertz’s former studio

The museum is in the studio built for Antoine Wiertz in the 1850s. A painter, sculptor and writer, Wiertz was associated with Belgian Romanticism and drew inspiration from artists including Rubens and Michelangelo. The collection was given to the Belgian state.

The rooms bring together paintings and smaller sketches. Make time for the grand hall, where the scale of Wiertz’s canvases is especially striking. Some works show figures in scenes of struggle; others have a theatrical, unsettling edge. His painting of the hunchback of Notre Dame has a caricature-like quality, while The Beautiful Rosine places a girl face-to-face with a skeleton.

A distinctive painting technique

Wiertz developed a method known as mat painting, intended to combine the smooth finish of oil painting with the speed of fresco. He mixed colours with turpentine and petrol and applied them to Holland. The technique is most apparent in his larger works, so step back where the room allows and take in the full canvas as well as its details.

The artist died in his studio. His remains were embalmed according to Ancient Egyptian burial rites and placed in a vault in the municipal cemetery. The museum’s collection and studio connect the works on the walls with the place where he made them.