Brussels has a heady cultural agenda where exhibitions andvernissagesare common fare. Some especially interesting spaces have been unveiled there in recent times, augmenting the established ones. Thus, art enthusiasts and culture devotees in general would do well to visit them on a brief getaway.

The first of these is the ADAM (Art & Design Atomium Museum), located in the Atomium, an iconic construction in the Brussels district of Heysel which was built for the 1958 World Fair. ADAM is an art and design centre which showcases a unique collection of plastic furniture and other objects owned by the Belgian artist, Philippe Decelle, who has been collecting these artefacts since the 1970s. And, while you’re in the vicinity of the Atomium, you should make a point of dropping in on the light and sound installation, ID#2016, which runs until 13 November 2016 and forms part of the ID (Innovative Display) programme, a digital art festival which has been operating since 2013.

Another major cultural landmark in Brussels is MIMA (Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art), located in the enduringly interesting district of Molenbeek. This space revolves around the highly specific, innovative theme of the evolution of contemporary art following the advent of Internet and the emergence of Culture 2.0.

Another highly edifying cultural landmark in Brussels is the Museum of Natural Sciences, famed for its Dinosaur Gallery, and particularly its iguanodons, the skeletons of which were unearthed in 1878 at a mine in Bernissart in southern Belgium. Be sure to also visit the Gallery of Humankind, a unique exhibition unveiled just a year ago which traces the evolution of man and the human body.

It is always a good time to visit the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts, not only because it is one of Belgium’s most dynamic art hubs (it receives an impressive 1 million visitors each year), but for the building itself. Designed by the acclaimed Belgian Art Deco architect, Victor Horta, it is a magnificent specimen of the country’s architectural heritage. An exhibition showcasing 80 sculptures by Pablo Picasso entitled Picasso. Sculptures is due to run here in the next few months – specifically, from 26 October 2016 to 5 March 2017. Organised in conjunction with the Musée Picasso of Paris, the exhibition will feature works expressing the creative power of the innovative Malaga art genius, who used a host of materials and numerous techniques in his sculptures.

Lastly, an area well worth strolling about and which always throws up some novelty is the Parc du Cinquantenaire (“Quincentenary Park”). Located in this park, a case in point is the Horta-Lambeaux Pavilion which showcases the stunning bas-relief known as Human Passions, the crowning work of Jef Lambeaux, sculpted in white Carrara marble. Another interesting venue is Autoworld, featuring the world’s most important automobile collection which this year marks its 30th anniversary.

Ready to discover these offerings in Brussels? Book your Vueling to Brussels here.

Text by Tusdestinos.net

Images by Tusdestinos.net, IRScNB-KBINTh.Hubin (Museum of Natural Sciences) and Visit Brussels (Olivier van de Kerchove)

What makes Málaga an essential visit for art lovers are these magnificent collections. Might their presence be due to Málaga being the birthplace of one of the 20th century’s leading art geniuses? To be sure, if Picasso were there to see it all, he would be proud of his hometown being so privileged. Here is a rundown of the five not-to-be-missed art spaces, two of which have just opened!

Picasso Museum of Málaga

In 1953, Pablo Picasso and Juan Temboury Álvarez, the Provincial Fine Arts Delegate for Málaga, laid the groundwork for the creation of a museum to house part of the artist’s work. But it was not until many years later – 50 years, to be exact – that the project bore fruit. This was largely thanks to the endeavours of Christine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, the Malagan painter’s daughter-in-law and grandson, who provided an endowment totalling 285 pieces covering 80 years of work, from 1892 to 1972. The premises chosen to house the collection were the Buenavista Palace, a Renaissance building dating from 1487, erected over the remains of a Nasrid palace of which some details have been preserved. Listed as a “national monument” in 1939, it was subsequently refurbished, enlarged and converted into a museum to house the artist’s work, as well as temporary exhibitions. During one of the latest extension works, Phoenician and Roman remains were unearthed; they now form part of the items on display on the museum circuit.

Picasso diehards should also visit the house-museum where Picasso was born, the Fundación Museo Casa Natal de Picasso.

Málaga Contemporary Art Centre (CAC Málaga)

Housed in the former wholesale market building, the Mercado de Mayoristas de Málaga, the CAC Málaga is dedicated to the plastic arts, and visual arts as a whole, from the last three decades of the 20th century until the present.

Inaugurated in 2003, it contains works by such artists as Louise Bourgeois, the Chapman brothers, Gerard Richter, Paul McCarthy, Anish Kapoor, Jason Rhoades, Raymond Pettibon, Ron Mueck, Rachael Whiteread, Yoshitmo Nara, Roni Horn, Daniel Richter and Rodney Graham. Based on the model of the German Kunsthaus (house of art), it also offers complementary activities, including film cycles, courses and conferences.

Carmen Thyssen Museum, Málaga

This selection of works selected from the collection of Carmen Thyssen is housed in the historical Villalón Palace, built in the mid-16th century. With a total of around 230 works on display, this museum features Spanish artists mainly from the 19th and early-20th century, distributed in these categories: Old Masters, Romantic Landscape and Genre Painting, Précieux and Naturalist Painting, and Fin-de-Siècle.

Lastly, a curious detail – like the Picasso Museum of Málaga, the basement also features Roman ruins, which are open to the public.

Centre Pompidou, Málaga

Following in the footsteps of the Louvre, which already has a second branch in Lens (France), and another on the way outside France, in Abu Dhabi, the Centro Nacional de Arte y Cultura Georges Pompidou has just unveiled in Málaga its third branch, and first outside France. The museum is housed in El Cubo, a new building dating from 2013, noteworthy for its crowning device, from which it derives its name – a steel-and-glass cube which acts as a skylight.

On display in this space is a total of 80 paintings and photos by such artists as Francis Bacon, Georg Baselitz, Constantin Brâncuși, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Giorgio de Chirico, Max Ernst, Alberto Giacometti, Jean Hélion, Frida Kahlo, Fernand Léger, René Magritte, Joan Miró, Francis Picabia, Pablo Picasso, Antoni Tàpies, Jean Tinguely and Kees Van Dongen. From two to three temporary exhibitions will also be scheduled, as will a number of multidisciplinary activities.

Saint Petersburg State Russian Museum Collection, Málaga

In Málaga you can now enjoy a piece of Russia’s art production. To be inaugurated on 28 March, in the former Tabacalera (tobacco factory), it will feature works from the State Russian Museum of Saint Petersburg. This compendium of 500 years of Russian art history will range from icons of Byzantine inspiration to the social realism of the Soviet era.

The permanent exhibition of one hundred works will be augmented by two annual temporary exhibitions focusing on some of the leading figures in Russian art.

Book your flight now and get ready to take in all this beauty!

Text ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Photos © Área de Turismo. Ayuntamiento de Málaga, Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga, Museo Picasso Málaga (© David Heald), CAC Málaga

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