François de Brussel
(Spa, 1979)
Lives and works in Brussels
François de Brussel is a visual artist based in Brussels. His work blends photography, collage, embroidery and video to create richly textured explorations of sensuality, spirituality, and human connection. He brings together seemingly contrasting elements—queer and religious iconography, personal and collective histories, tradition and experimentation—to produce artworks that are both intimate and universal. Self-taught in his visual practice, he approaches creation with a fearless openness, unbound by formal academic constraints, allowing for surprising encounters between media and ideas.
Deeply rooted in the cultural and architectural landscape of Brussels, François’s work often draws on their visual and spiritual heritage, from masters like Bruegel and Magritte to the lived experience of their diverse contemporary inhabitants. His art creates atmospheres of gentle strangeness, inviting viewers into poetic worlds where eroticism and mysticism meet. In his ongoing Erotology series, vintage erotic imagery is elevated through gold-thread embroidery, transforming carnal scenes into sacred tableaux, inviting viewers to reconsider the boundaries between desire and divinity, the profane and the sacred.
François holds a Master in Languages and Literatures from ULB. Before fully dedicating himself to visual art, he worked as a curator for institutions such as Musée Maillol (Paris), La Boverie (Liège), and La Sucrière (Lyon), and also wrote for theatre and music. These experiences continue to inform his visual language, particularly in his attention to composition, narrative, and emotional resonance. Future projects include a participatory artwork in Anderlecht—a ceremonial wish tree that invites community members to engage in a shared act of hope and expression. At the heart of his practice is a conviction that art can be a sacred meeting point: a place to celebrate diversity, question norms, and find connection in the shared mysteries of being human.
KEY DATES
2025 - Back Home, Collective exhibition (Collégiale St-Pierre et St-Guidon, Brussels)
2025 - Songwriting for the new production of the music band Venusberg
2025 - Trésor(s), Exhibition (Musée Maison d’Erasme, Brussels)
2023 - Co-curatorship of Bill Viola. Un humaniste pour notre temps (Musée La Boverie, Liège)
2022 - Co-curatorship of Ceci n’est pas un corps. La sculpture hyperréaliste (Musée Maillol, Paris)
2020 - Co-curatorship of Warhol. The American Dream Factory (Musée La Boverie, Liège)
2018 - Co-curatorship of L’Islam, c’est aussi notre histoire (Vanderborght, Brussels)
2016 - Co-curatorship of 21, rue la Boétie (Musée Maillol, Paris)
2016 - Conception of the visual identity, stage design and costumes for the tour of Venusberg
2016 - Playwriting of J'ai un secret à vous dire (Olivier Prestant)
2014 - Songwriting for the album Extremely Sad and Sexy Songs by Venusberg
2014 - Conception of an immersive museum experience with Luc Petit Imagination (Hougoumont, Waterloo)
2013 - Playwriting and production Le Monde de Luce et ses extases (Cie Ah mon amour)
EDUCATION
Master in Modern Languages and Literatures (Université Libre de Bruxelles)