It is with great pleasure that we present the contemporary art exhibition that commemorates the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in this first half of 2024.

This proposal has brought together remarkable artworks from institutional and private collections, to illustrate basic aspects of parliamentary democracy such as the separation of powers, respect for human rights and legal guarantees, citizen participation guaranteed by freedom of expression, the right to vote, the voice and discourse of the various political groups, debate, negotiation, the search for understanding and agreements.

Indeed, a relevant project at the current moment of politics and democracies on our continent, in tune with the exhibition “Art in Democracy”, which the European Parliament presents this year in Brussels and Strasbourg. This exhibition contributes to reinforcing awareness of the need to stand up for democratic rights and participate in the upcoming European elections in June 2024, which are of particular significance in Belgium, as the voting age has been lowered to 16 for the first time.

Undoubtedly, the Belgian section of the European Parliament Art Collection features several notable works, dated between the seventies and nineties of the twentieth century by some of the most important Belgian artists of the last fifty years.

As regards this exhibition, the selection process has focused on artworks that properly help illuminate the different topics around democracy and elections, like the sculptural piece by Vic Gentils, the impactful tapestry by Anne Deglain, or Gilbert Swimberghe’s white rhombus, whose title A quattro voci (1980) brings a musical and harmonic connotation to a work of dazzling formal beauty.

We thank the Belgian authorities and their presidency for their valuable collaboration in the realization of this joint exhibition.

Download the exhibition catalogue

We organize guided tours for groups of 5 to 15 people. Contact us!