On Sunday, 23 November, the Arp Museum in Remagen (Rhineland-Palatinate) will open the exhibition "Landscapes of the Soul. James Ensor - Claude Monet - Léon Spilliaert" with a focus on the works of Belgian artists from Impressionism to classical modernism. Also showcased: five museum cases from Paderborn University, which were created as part of a joint teaching project in the subject areas of art and French in collaboration with the Belgium Centre (BELZ). As part of an excursion to Flanders and Brussels, the students studied the works of the Symbolists Léon Spilliaert and George Minne intensively in order to develop the museum cases under the guidance of Dr. Larissa Eikermann from the subject area of art and Prof. Dr. Sabine Schmitz, Department of Romance Studies/Chair of the BELZ. Impressions from the excursion and subsequent research on Belgian Symbolism and the artists were incorporated into the design of the cases, so that each one is an independent object of art and mediation.
"The carefully selected and designed objects create a learning experience that encourages discovery, perception and creation," says Dr. Eikermann. "The aim of the cases is to arouse curiosity and they invite visitors not only to approach Symbolism in Belgium intellectually, but also to grasp it creatively with all their senses," adds Prof. Schmitz. This is the second time that these suitcases have travelled at the request of a museum. The project clearly demonstrates how teaching, research, artistic practice, and mediation of knowledge are intertwined. It combines science with sensory experience and opens up new ways of communicating art and cultural history in a lively way. The Paderborn museum cases are on display at the Arp Museum until 8 March 2026. A catalogue of these and other museum cases created as part of the project has also been produced. It has been published under the title "Belgian Symbolism at your fingertips: Museum cases on the work of Léon Spilliaert and George Minne".
Further information can be found on the website of the Arp Museum.
This text was translated automatically.
