Open Studio. Around Arié Mandelbaum.
27.09.2026 – 06.12.2026
With Open Studio, the Jewish Museum of Belgium transforms the surrounding neighborhood into an exhibition space. While the museum building is closed for renovation, a dozen paintings by Arié Mandelbaum are displayed in locations near the museum. Presented in diverse contexts, they engage new audiences. These displacements create echoes, tensions, and connections that transcend the traditional exhibition framework, fostering unexpected encounters between art and daily life.
Born in 1939, Arié Mandelbaum grew up in a Jewish family from Poland that settled near Brussels’ Gare du Midi. He developed most of his work in Brussels, where he moved his studios in various locations over the decades. Since the late 1950s, his painting has intertwined collective history, political commitment, and intimate experience. Over time, his artistic language has become more refined. Traces, erasure, and memory occupy a central place in his work. Fragile figures, marginalized narratives, and the violence of History emerge in compositions where white acts as an active force.
The route unfolds across Cinematek, Cinéma Galeries, Maison des Arts et de la Culture Sociale (MACS – Grands Carmes), Centre culturel Bruegel, CPAS de Bruxelles, Maison CFC, and the Jewish Museum of Belgium. Additional partners will gradually join the project. Guided tours, public discussions, screenings, and conversations with the artist will accompany the presence of the works in the city, extending the resonances they create from one place to another.
Partner Locations:
Cinematek
Rue Baron Horta 9
1000 Brussels
Cinéma Galeries
Galerie de la Reine 26
1000 Brussels
Maison des Arts et de la Culture Sociale (MACS – Grands Carmes)
Rue des Grands Carmes 17
1000 Brussels
Centre culturel Bruegel
Rue des Renards 1F
1000 Brussels
CPAS de Bruxelles
Rue Haute 298A
1000 Brussels
Maison CFC
Place des Martyrs 14
1000 Brussels
Jewish Museum of Belgium
Rue des Minimes 21
1000 Brussels
Opening Reception:
27 September 2026 – 5:30 PM
Cinematek – Rue Baron Horta 9, 1000 Brussels
Screening of “Portrait of the Painter in His Studio” (Boris Lehman, 1985, 41 min), in its version restored by CINEMATEK in 2025.
The screening will be followed by a discussion between Boris Lehman and Arié Mandelbaum.
Communication image © Anass Elazhar Idrissi / Instagram: @elazhar.idrissi
