This summer, the Villa Empain returns to its intended use and invites the public on a journey to discover the artworks of several well-known and emerging artists in a space that once was a furnished home.

The title of the group exhibition House of Dreamers – which literally translates into French as “la maison des rêveurs” – evokes a poetic stroll through the rooms of the Villa Empain. In the various rooms and salons, the pieces on show underline and explore the architectural qualities of the space and its use. The exhibition follows the pattern of a recomposed interior, of a house reconstituted by the creation of large in situ sets, where the rooms are brought to life by the presence of artworks and objects. This thematic presentation raises the fundamental question of the relationship between artists and domestic space and challenges the notion of the decorative in modern and contemporary art.

House of Dreamers extols dreams as a possible answer to living life differently and invites visitors to re-enchant their daily lives with a series of poetic, political, and social messages.

Curator: Anne-Laure Lestage

With Anni Albers, Josef Albers, Mathilde Albouy, Anastasia Bay, Nigin Beck, Marion Benoit, Pierre Bonnard, Anne Bourse, Ulla von Brandenburg, Huguette Caland, Marc-Camille Chaimowicz, Than Hussein Clark, Jean Cocteau, Les Crafties, Gregory Cuquel, Koenraad Dedobbeleer, Daniel Dewar & Grégory Gicquel, Charlotte Dualé, Simone Fattal, Aurélie Ferruel & Florentine Guédon, Olga Flór, Clémentine Fort, Kasia Fudakowski, Sébastien Gouju, Jacent, Johanna Jackson & Chris Johanson, Ellande Jaureguiberry, Christopher Kline, Raphaël Larre, Victor Levai, Claire Lézier, Maison Pelletier-Ferruel, Kasimir Malevitch, Zora Mann, Pierre Marie, Ad Minoliti, Shana Moulton, Élise Peroi, Laure Prouvost, Man Ray, Stéphanie Saadé, Jean-Michel Sanejouand, Daniel Spoerri, Katja Tönnissen, Magali Wagner & Amélie Charroin.