1897 Exposition Congolaise, Tervuren: Colonialism and the Belgian Avant-Garde
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Abstract
In May of 1897, the Exposition Coloniale in Le Palais des Colonies, opened on the site of the Royal Park in Tervuren in conjunction with l'Exposition internationale de Bruxelles held at the same time in the city center. This exhibition satisfied King Leopold II’s longstanding interest in civic projects while the enthralling and exotic displays distracted Belgians from increasing evidence of the “reckless cruelty and greed” of his agents in the Congo. It developed out of the economic and political agendas of the sovereign, and allowed leading artists of the day to break with the past to create a new aesthetic mode for display in a highly visible public arena. The 1897 Exposition Coloniale established a national variant of Art Nouveau, known as le Style Congo. It was rooted in raw materials of the Congo, and incorporated cultural material already circulating throughout Belgium—the fetishes, tools and products collected by Belgian agents, and images reflected in popular publications. In the Salon d’Honneur, fine arts served as outright billboards for ivory, the most quintessential Congolese material. A textile cycle by Hélène de Rudder-du Ménil contrasted the “savagery” of the Congolese people with the civilizing benefits of Belgian intervention. In the adjacent Salle d’Ethnographie, a vast array of cultural material was incorporated into abstract displays that above all served the avant-garde architectural and design program of the Exposition Coloniale. The Exposition Coloniale developed out of the economic and political agendas of the sovereign, the forward-leaning aesthetic interests of his Secretary of State, and an exhibition venue that allowed leading artists of the day to break with the past to create a new aesthetic mode in a highly visible public spectacle. Belgian avant-garde artists incorporated the luxurious materials and aesthetic resources of the Congo into new artistic creations. Under the direction of Paul Hankar, the complex relationship of Belgian avant-garde artists to the imperialism of Leopold II was made manifest at the 1897 Exposition Coloniale. This thesis will examine the intersection of colonial propaganda and the promotion of the Belgian avant-garde objectives at the end of the nineteenth century, through an analysis of ivory sculpture and the textile cycle of Hélène de Rudder-du Ménil in the Salon d’Honneur, and the interior design and furnishings of Paul Hankar in the Salle d’Ethnographie.
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Introduction -- The exposition Coloniale in context -- Salon D'Honneur of Le Palais Des Colonies -- Salle D'Ethnographie of Le Palais Des Colonies -- Conclusion
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MA (Master of Arts)
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Open Access (fully available)