Culture

Sound artist Winne Clement from Ghent created the longest flute in the world

23 March 2023

A good 8 meters. That's how long instrument maker Winne Clement's overtone flute is. He provided the sounds composer Rob Simonsen based his music on for the two-time Oscar winner The Whale.

Belgian composer Dirk Brossé in the running for international film music award

02 March 2023

The world-renowned Ghent conductor and multiple award-winning composer Dirk Brossé (°1960) has been nominated by the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) for his score of the Flemish d

Recently rediscovered van Dyck sold for millions

09 February 2023

A recently rediscovered painting by Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck was sold at an auction for over 3 million US dollars.

Two Belgians win French comic strip prize

08 February 2023

Sabien Clement and Mieke Versyp – illustrator and author respectively – have won the René Goscinny Prize for best young script writers at the most important comic strip festival of Europe.

Brussels lunch concerts turn 75 years old

26 January 2023

Did you know that, for the past 75 years, Brussels has been the scene of lunchtime classical music concerts?

A country of legends and thrills

The constant contact with other peoples and cultures hasn't been without its effects in terms of art and culture, both in the past and the present day. A true crossroads of the major influences of art, Belgium has always been home to a large number of artists and frequently establishes itself as the place for innovation for new movements.

Belgium has preserved much evidence of the greatest architectural and artistic movements. The Middle Ages saw cathedrals and belfries spring up, monuments that still grace the Belgian cities of art. Countless châteaux pepper the countryside and Belgium is the country with the most châteaux per km². As for Brussels, in the 20th century, it became the capital of Art Nouveau. All this explains the country's incredible architectural wealth.

The splendid works of the old Flemish painters such as Peter Paul Rubens, Pieter Bruegel, Jan Van Eyck, Antoine Van Dyck, along with more recent artists like Paul Delvaux or René Magritte, are now exhibited in museums all over the world.

The ultimate hub for comics, Belgium is home to the largest concentration of comic book authors in the world. They continue the tradition of Hergé (Tintin), Peyo (Les Schtroumpfs), Edgar P. Jacobs (Blake et Mortimer), Morris (Lucky Luke), Bob De Moor (Barelli, Cori de scheepsjongen), Willy Vandersteen (Suske en Wiske) and many more!

Today, many Belgian talents are making a name for themselves. This is particularly the case on the international music scene with Angèle, Milow, Selah Sue and Hooverphonic. On the big screen, a new generation of directors and actors are frequently recognised with awards including the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Oscars in Hollywood.

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