Isabelle de Borchgrave

This morning we visited the Fortuny exhibition by Isabelle de Borchgrave which featured beautiful dresses made from pleated, hand painted paper fashioned in the same way as printed silks might be.

The work was stunning with a wonderful use of colour. The paper used is ordinary and cheap looking in its original state before being transformed into a work of art.

This image is from my favourite room which included these cut out panels which gave layers of images and light. That's me you can see through the panel.

The highlight of our visit was that Isabelle herself was there and she was so delightful and very approachable. She told us we could only take photos if we promised to share them and happily signed a book for Zen dog.

This is the sort of art I like, accessible and unpretentious but very beautiful. Much better than Magritte!

Can't say I'd particularly recommend a visit to Brussels. It seemed to me to have little charm and I was shocked to see whole families begging and living on the streets, including very young children. By comparison with the Metro, the London Underground is vibrant and interesting!

All in all a visit to Brussels hasn't made me pro-European but it was still a good weekend. Zen dog and I are already planning our spring weekend away (maybe Amsterdam) as I make the most of a wonderful excuse to visit different cities in or near to Holland.