Hippolyte Fierens-Gevaert papers (PGF/I)

Collection description

Holding institution (official language):: Archives des Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique

Creator/accumulator:: Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique; Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België

Scope and content:: This (sub)fonds contains the files and items concerning the extra-museum functions of Hippolyte Fierens-Gevaert. We note material concerning i.a. the biennales of Venice, congresses, associations, works and correspondence of Hippolyte Fierens-Gevaert. We notably find material related to Jewish artists in Belgium and their art; see the files related to Ferdinand Schirren (nos. 72/58, 83/66 and 96/44, resp. for the years 1920, 1922 and 1924-1925) and several files directly or indirectly concerning Philippe Wolfers (incl. file no. 83/77) or Marcel Wolfers (no. 83/78).

Administrative/biographical history:: The Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique / Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België (Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium) was created by virtue of the consular decree of 14 Fructidor year IX, better known as the Chaptal decree. The museum opened to the public two years later and Guillaume Bosschaert was its first curator. The museum, owned by the city of Brussels since 1811, was ceded to the newly created Belgian state according to the agreement of 31 December 1842. In 1907 the first ‘society of friends’ was created: les Amis des Musées royaux de l’État à Bruxelles, counting among its members many dignitaries and personalities of the Jewish financial and industrial elite, including baron Léon Cassel, Léon Lambert, Franz Philippson and Jules Philippson. In 1919, after the First World War, the Museum was directed by chief curator Hippolyte Fierens-Gevaert. Today, the collections of the MRBAB include over 20000 works of art. Today, the MRBAB comprises the Old Masters Museum, the Modern Museum, the Wiertz Museum, Meunier Museum, Magritte Museum and the Fin-de-Siècle Museum. (http://www.fine-arts-museum.be; M. van Kalck (ed.), Les Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique. Deux siècles d’histoire, Bruxelles, éd. Dexia Banque et Racine, 2003.)

Access points: persons/families:: Fierens-Gevaert, Hippolyte; Schirren, Ferdinand; Wolfers, Marcel; Wolfers, Philippe

Access, restrictions:: Consultation is possible by appointment with the archivist of the MRBAB.

Finding aids:: M. van Kalck, Inventaire des papiers Hippolyte Fierens-Gevaert (PFG/1), Bruxelles, KMSKB-MRBAB, 2013, 91 p. Printed inventory available at the Archives department of the MRBAB.