Protect
4,277
edits
Changes
→Frans Van Haelen (1872-1939)
==Frans Van Haelen (1872-1939)==
Frans Van Haelen was well known as a cultural figure in his time, a patron of the arts and benefactor to the pre-war artist group later known as the Brabant Fauves. This group included the artists Rik Wouters (1882-1916), Louis Thevenet (1874-1930), and Felix De Boeck (1898-1995) and the Flemish author Herman Teirlinck (1879-1967). They often assembled at the brewer's home, and also worked in a loft above the Cafe Les 3 Pigeons across the street from the brewery. Gueuze was sometimes exchanged for artworks. A private gallery was constructed inside the brewery, and Van Haelen's home was full of fine art and antiquities. Van Haelen was a friend of famous Belgian artist James Ensor, and several of his paintings hung inside the brewery before it was demolished in 1971.
Van Haelen also sponsored the restoration of Beersel Castle from 1928-1939, as an early proponent of tourism to the Senne Valley region. He was said to be the richest man in Beersel before the second world war.