THE TALE OF PHILIPPINE D'OTREPPE
On a recent grey morning, the first of autumn to be precise, Philippine d’Otreppe opened her picturesque door and greeted us with a smile. Under the waking yawn of the rainy Marolles, she let us into her universe full of wonder and full of sun. The table was set, filled with flowers and cuisine, yet at Philippine’s atelier, nothing is quite what it seems...
In an enchanted place where paint and ceramic collide, she creates marvelous trompe-l’oeils as delicate as her hands, and as heartwarming as her eyes.
I will tell you a secret she said “I am originally not from here, but from Orval in the Belgian Ardennes, a place where greenery is omnipresent and sounds are soft and serene.” And as she talked and worked with patience and in peace, we saw this reflected in her soft nature and calm ease.
As she later lid the candles, a feast came into sight, with mussels and fries, and even small grey shrimp and a glass of red wine. A nostalgic and magical setting, a Belgian still life frozen in time. We almost got lost reminiscing on long summer nights, picnics in the grass under cloudless starry skies.
Art & Culture Spots
Baronian
(Art gallery) Rue Isidore Verheyden 2, Ixelles
Le Rideau
(Theatre) Rue Goffart 7a, Ixelles
Villa Empain
(Museum) Av. Franklin Roosevelt 67, Ixelles
Gallerie Faider
(Art gallery) Rue Faider 12, St-Gilles
L’Atelier de Philippine d’Otreppe
(Artist Studio) Rue Blaes 38, Brussels
Nino Mier Gallery
(Art gallery) Rue Ernest Allard 25, Brussels
Leonet Hoang
(Architecture & design) Rue Berthelot 115, Forest
Maniera
(Art & design) Rue Meyerbeer 33, Forest
WIELS
(Art gallery) Av. Van Volxem 354, Forest
Van Buuren Museum
(Museum & gardens) Av. Léo Errera 41, Uccle
