The Telegraph, UK
June 8, 2017 Thursday 11:00 AM GMT
Jewel purpose: the Boghossian family bring art-deco gem Villa Empain back to its former glory
By Talib Choudhry
With its granite and gold leaf exterior, the Villa Empain must be one of the most distinctive and beloved buildings in Brussels.
Louis Empain – son of billionaire industrialist and railway pioneer Edouard Empain – commissioned architect Michel Polak to design the villa as a private residence in 1930. Four years later it was completed, combining the simple lines of Bauhaus architecture with the luxurious materials and detailing of art deco.
The original solarium now serves as a meeting roomCredit: Jake Curtis
The villa was designed as a home of Gatsby-esque grandeur – except no wild parties were ever held there; Louis Empain was a very sober young man – so reclusive it was rumoured at the time that he never actually moved in. In reality, he did live in the villa for at least four years, and the few who were lucky enough to step inside would have seen yet more splendour.
Floors and walls are rendered from five different types of marble; there is panelling in walnut, rosewood and oak, as well as the more exotic African bubinga and Venezuelan manilkara; bathrooms are tiled with intricate mosaics; and stained-glass panels and magnificent wrought-ironwork feature throughout. The swimming pool, which extends the entire length of the villa and boasted a thermostatically controlled heater, was one of the most impressive of its era.
Dominique Gonzalez Foerster's Chambre installationCredit: Jake Curtis
As such, Villa Empain is an aptly decorative home for the Boghossian Foundation, established as "a centre for art and dialogue between the cultures of the east and the west". Opened by the high jewellery house in April 2010, what might be dismissed as a glitzy vanity project for a luxury goods brand is, in fact, a heartfelt endeavour to use art as a force for good.
Caught up in the conflicts that have afflicted the Middle East throughout the 20th century, the Boghossian family found themselves fleeing from Armenia to Syria and then Lebanon, before finally settling in Belgium and Switzerland.
"I had the good fortune to grow up in the magnificent country of Lebanon but I lived through the damage caused by civil war," explains Jean Boghossian, a Brussels-based artist (who represented Armenia at this year's Venice Biennale). "I witnessed the brutality with which a peaceful coexistence can turn into a murderous hatred, and the wound it causes. Before, during the genocide that they suffered in 1915, my Armenian forefathers also lived through a nightmare."
A small bathroom was entirely rebuilt and mosaic-tiled after being demolished in 2000Credit: Jake Curtis
In 1992, Jean was moved to set up the Boghossian Foundation with his brother Albert – the company's CEO – and their father Robert, in order to undertake charitable work in the Middle East.
"We have been involved with humanitarian and educational projects for many years but we wanted to do something larger - shine a light on new ideas," says Albert's son Ralph, the company's production director. "The result is the Foundation in Brussels, which works to promote understanding between different cultures. Being Armenian, we drew inspiration from the Silk Road – it's the universe around which the Boghossian house revolves."
Descended from six generations of gem dealers, the Boghossian family has forged a unique identity in the world of high jewellery. Famous for the "art of inlay", a technique of setting one stone within another – Boghossian was known as Bogh-Art before being renamed in 2007 – the company's colourful aesthetic, extraordinary gems and attention to detail produce pieces akin to works of art.
Large parts of the original marble floor has been removed, but remained was so thick it could be sliced in half and repurposedCredit: Jake Curtis
"We start with the stone because we're gem experts and that's what we're passionate about," says Ralph. "We have developed many types of setting because it's the mount that emphasises and highlights the qualities of a stone."
Designs are influenced by both the Boghossian family's Middle Eastern roots and European lives today. Unusual stones are sometimes bought and stored for years before being turned into one of the handful of pieces that the house creates annually in Switzerland and Italy.
"We have loyal clients who buy several pieces on a regular basis," adds Ralph. "When you know that, for them, peerless beauty is the only thing that counts, you are able to push your abilities and create something special."
In contrast to the rarified world of Boghossian jewels, the Foundation at Villa Empain is open to all, and its general manager Louma Salamé (Jean's niece) is "very much into opening things up. Our shows and workshops are intended to make the visitor feel at home and we give everyone the same attention, whether it's the minister of foreign affairs or a Syrian refugee."
The villa's entrance hall features splendid wrought ironworkCredit: Jake Curtis
Louis Empain would surely approve of the current use of his former home. In 1937 Empain donated his mansion to the state as the site of the Royal Museum of Contemporary Decorative Arts of Belgium, but the Second World War brought a premature end to the museum's activities when the villa was requisitioned by the German invaders. It is rumoured to have been occupied by the Gestapo.
After the war, despite the conditions attached to Empain's gift to the Belgian state, the villa was handed over to the USSR to serve as its embassy. After much campaigning the building was returned to Empain in the mid-1960s and he staged exhibitions dedicated to kinetic and op art, before selling it in 1973, three years before his death. It was rented by the television station RTL for 20 years then, following another sale, the villa was abandoned and fell into disrepair.
When the Boghossian Foundation acquired Villa Empain in 2006, it was in a completely dilapidated state. After two years of site surveys and extensive research, complex restoration works took a further two. Walking through the building now it's difficult to imagine that it hasn't always looked the way it does.
The intricately panelled barCredit: Jake Curtis
"By restoring this magnificent piece of art-deco architecture and using it to house the headquarters of the foundation, we think that our projects will, in their own way, fulfil Baron Empain's wishes," says Jean Boghossian.
Having worked at the Guggenheim, the Mudam and the Abu Dhabi Louvre, Salamé is eminently qualified to run the Foundation. "It's a dream project for me – I found the idea of a bilateral east-meets-west project tremendously exciting," she says. "I've followed its progress for over 10 years, but I thought I had to do things on my own for a certain time and tried to learn everything you have to know to become the director of a cultural institution."
The first show that Salamé curated at the foundation was called Imaginary Borders. "There's an increasing stigmatisation of different groups of people for their religion, social background or nationality and the building of social barriers. All these walls are what we are fighting against."
The restored rear facade and magnificent pool of Villa Empain – renowned at the time it was built for its pioneering thermostatically controlled heating
The foundation's "mission" to encourage cultural exchange is carried out through exhibitions, events and residencies, with writers, artists, designers and curators living on site. The rooms in the villa are still referred to according to their original purpose and the hum of activity means it is far removed from a sterile gallery space.
"It's very much a living building – we want visitors to use the space and feel at ease," says Salamé. "It's a unique house, an amazing jewel and the perfect home for our mission. Genuinely, every morning when I put the key into this gorgeous front door, I feel like I've come home." villaempain.com