Wiertz Museum, Artistic museum in Ixelles, Belgium.
The Wiertz Museum occupies the former studio of Belgian artist Antoine Wiertz and displays his paintings, sculptures, and written works. The building preserves the original workshop with large-scale canvases and personal artworks arranged throughout its spaces.
Antoine Wiertz had his studio and home built on rue Vautier in Ixelles at state expense from 1853, in exchange for bequeathing seven monumental paintings. The studio became a museum shortly after his death in 1865. From 1868 until his death in 1883, the Flemish writer Hendrik Conscience lived in the house.
The building was erected at state expense as a studio and home for Antoine Wiertz, who in return left seven monumental paintings to Belgium. After his death the studio became a museum, and from 1868 the Flemish writer Hendrik Conscience lived in the house until his death in 1883. The entrance pillars carry his name in both French and Dutch.
The museum sits on Rue Vautier in Ixelles, a short walk from the Léopold II and Trône metro stops and close to the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and the Natural Sciences museum. The entrance is through the stone gate on the street; the studio itself is reached by steps, so allow time for stairs. Rooms are small and unstaffed in parts, and the building is a protected Brussels heritage site.
The museum holds a painting roughly 8 meters long depicting Greeks and Trojans fighting over the body of Patroclus. This massive canvas demonstrates the artist's preference for exceptionally large-scale works.
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