The Villa Empain will host Diary of Happiness, Jean-Michel Othoniel’s first major solo exhibition in Brussels, opening on 10 April 2026. The French artist brings together more than 100 works inspired by three decades of travel, in a parcours combining sculpture, watercolours and monumental installations.
Photo : © Georges De Kinder
The exhibition is designed to respond to the Art Deco architecture of the Villa Empain, with works displayed across the house’s salons, bedrooms and gardens. According to the official Villa Empain exhibition page, the project reflects the Boghossian Foundation’s mission of intercultural dialogue, with each work linked to a country or a stop along the artist’s journey.
A journey between memory and happiness
At the heart of Diary of Happiness are nearly 100 rarely shown watercolours, which serve as a narrative thread throughout the exhibition. These paper works are presented alongside sculptures and large-scale installations, creating a display that feels both intimate and theatrical.
Othoniel presents the exhibition as an exploration of the search for happiness, moving from shadow toward light through a deeply personal visual language. The route evokes places including Armenia, Belgium, China, France, India, Japan, Mexico, Turkey and the United States, turning the exhibition into a poetic map of encounters and movement.
Practical information
Diary of Happiness runs from 10 April to 4 October 2026 at the Boghossian Foundation – Villa Empain, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 67, 1050 Ixelles, Brussels. More details are also available on the Brussels agenda listing and on the Villa Empain exhibitions page.
KET Magazine is a community‑driven, non‑profit magazine run by volunteers based in Brussels. Get in touch to share your thoughts or tell us about your activities. You can also promote your events on our website or support our work with a donation. Contact us at Info@ket.brussels.
You may also like
-
Lou Trotignon brings transition, testosterone and a little fish energy to Brussels
What if the person everyone expected you to be simply wasn’t you? In Mérou, comedian
-
Love behind the lines: Lukas Dhont’s Coward comes to Flagey
In Coward, a young soldier looking to prove himself finds something he did not expect
-
Meet Benka: the Brussels pop artist who caught our ear at Tels Quels
KET loved discovering Benka at the Tels Quels Talent Show at Les Grands Carmes on
-
Africa Legacy: a different way to look at art history in Brussels
More than 250 works, 22 countries and a conversation across centuries: Africa Legacy – Berceau
-
Adam La Nuit: Making Music Between Worlds
For Adam La Nuit, belonging doesn’t mean choosing one world over another. The Belgian-Congolese artist
