Brussels International Exposition (1935)
Encyclopedia
Heysel Park
The Heysel Exhibition Park is the place in the north of the centre of Brussels, Belgium, where the Brussels International Exposition and the Expo '58 took place....
, Brussels, Belgium from April 27 through November 6, 1935.
Sanctioned by the Bureau of International Expositions
Bureau of International Expositions
The International Exhibitions Bureau is an intergovernmental organization created to supervise international exhibitions falling under the jurisdiction of the Convention Relating to International Exhibitions....
, twenty-five countries officially participated, and another five unofficially represented. The theme was colonization, on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Congo Free State
Congo Free State
The Congo Free State was a large area in Central Africa which was privately controlled by Leopold II, King of the Belgians. Its origins lay in Leopold's attracting scientific, and humanitarian backing for a non-governmental organization, the Association internationale africaine...
.
The fair attracted some twenty million visitors. Belgian architect Joseph Van Neck was the principal architect of the fair and of the Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
Palais de Expositions (Grand Palais), with its interior concrete parabolic arches, and its four heroic bronze statues on piers.
Among many other contributors, Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
designed part of the French exhibit, and the Belgian modernist architect Victor Bourgeois
Victor Bourgeois
Victor Bourgeois was a Belgian architect and urban planner, considered the greatest Belgian modernist architect....
designed the Grand Palace, the Leopold II
Leopold II of Belgium
Leopold II was the second king of the Belgians. Born in Brussels the second son of Leopold I and Louise-Marie of Orléans, he succeeded his father to the throne on 17 December 1865 and remained king until his death.Leopold is chiefly remembered as the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free...
Restaurant and the Soprocol Pavilion. The Belgian art exposition prominently displayed the work of Belgian artists Paul Delvaux
Paul Delvaux
Paul Delvaux was a Belgian painter, associated with Surrealism, famous for his paintings of female nudes.-Biography:...
and René Magritte
René Magritte
René François Ghislain Magritte[p] was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images...
, boosting their careers.
The Palais de Expositions and at least three other of the 1935 structures were re-used for Expo '58
Expo '58
Expo 58, also known as the Brussels World’s Fair, Brusselse Wereldtentoonstelling or Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles, was held from 17 April to 19 October 1958...
.
See also
- Brussels International (1897)Brussels International (1897)The Brussels International Exposition of 1897 was a World's Fair held in Brussels, Belgium, from May 10, 1897 through November 8, 1897...
- Brussels International (1910)Brussels International 1910Exposition Universelle et Internationale was a world's fair held in Brussels in 1910 from April 23 to November 1. This was just thirteen years after the previous Brussels world's fair....
- Expo '58Expo '58Expo 58, also known as the Brussels World’s Fair, Brusselse Wereldtentoonstelling or Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles, was held from 17 April to 19 October 1958...
Further reading
- Michel MARY, Adrien Van der Burch, Commissaire général près l'Exposition Universelle et Internationale Bruxelles 1935 in Annales du Cercle royal d'histoire et d'archéologie du Canton de Soignies, XXXVII, 2004;