fully booked Excursion: Léon Wuidar and Architecture
in collaboration with MACPA - Musée d’art contemporain en Plein Air du Sart Tilman

Please note: the excursion is fully booked and reservations are closed.

On the occasion of the current exhibition Léon Wuidar: Um die Ecke, IKOB is organising a unique excursion to three remarkable sites in and around Liège. The programme highlights the close connection between Léon Wuidar’s artistic practice and architecture.

Léon Wuidar is one of the most important Belgian artists of his generation. For the past six decades, he has been exploring the possibilities of abstraction and geometry through painting. At the same time, his artistic practice has been deeply informed by architecture: he has designed and realised numerous works in public space and collaborated throughout his career with several architects – including his friend Charles Vandenhove, who designed his house and studio.

The excursion is a collaboration between IKOB and MACPA – Musée d’art contemporain en Plein Air du Sart Tilman and is accompanied by Pierre Henrion (Chief Curator, MACPA), Julie Bawin (Director, MACPA), and Brenda Guesnet (Curator, IKOB). The artist Léon Wuidar will also be present.

PROGRAMME | Saturday, 04.10.2025

13:45: Meeting point and introduction in front of the Hôtel Torrentius, Rue Saint-Pierre 15, 4000 Liège

14:00: Visit to Hôtel Torrentius, Rue Saint-Pierre 15, 4000 Liège with Prudent de Whispelaere, President of the Fondation Jeanne & Charles Vandenhove

An exclusive visit to the Hôtel Torrentius in Liège, home of the Fondation Jeanne & Charles Vandenhove and normally closed to the public. Built between 1565 and 1568, it is one of Belgium’s most important Renaissance houses. In the 1980s, Charles Vandenhove restored the building and used it as his office. Here too, he sought a close dialogue between architecture and contemporary art, inviting artists Daniel Buren, Olivier Debré, and Léon Wuidar to create site-specific interventions within the interiors. Google Maps link

14:40: onward journey to Sart Tilman *

15:00: Visit to CHU Liège (Centre hospitalier universitaire de Liège), Avenue de l’Hôpital 1, 4000 Liège

CHU Liège is not only a major medical centre but also a landmark of modern architecture. Architect Charles Vandenhove sought to provide patients, visitors, and staff with spaces of rest and aesthetic experience through architecture and art. Artists such as Daniel Buren, Sol LeWitt, Jacques Charlier, Jo Delahaut, Olivier Debré, Niele Toroni, Claude Viallat, Marthe Wéry, and Léon Wuidar created site-specific interventions within the hospital. Google Maps link

15:45: Meeting point at the reception pavilion of the MACPA – Musée d’art contemporain en Plein Air du Sart Tilman, located at the Simone David-Constant roundabout (at the northern end of Boulevard du Rectorat). Address: Musée en plein air du Sart Tilman, Rond-point Simone David-Constant (Bât. B1), 4000 Liège. Follow the signs “S. David-Constant”. Google Maps link

16:00: Guided tour at MACPA – Musée d’art contemporain en Plein Air du Sart Tilman

Situated on the heights of Liège, MACPA has brought together nature, architecture, and contemporary art since the 1960s. As a laboratory for public art, it today houses almost 120 works, mostly monumental sculptures and paintings, with nearly 100 displayed outdoors. Architect Claude Strebelle pursued the vision of closely interweaving art and architecture on the Sart Tilman campus for decades. This idea led to the official founding of the museum in 1977.

During the visit, we will discover Léon Wuidar’s works Labyrinthe (1987) and Composition monumentale (1977) as well as numerous other artworks from the collection.

approx. 17:00: End

Practical information:

The excursion is fully booked and reservations are closed. Any questions, please contact Brenda Guesnet (guesnet@ikob.be).

The visits will be conducted in French; our team can provide translation into German and/or English if needed.

* The locations of the excursion will be reached by car. If you require a ride from Eupen, Liège, or Brussels, please mention this when reserving and we will find a solution.