Ateliers Mommen

Ateliers Mommen, also known as Cité Mommen and formerly as Établissements Mommen, is an artists’ colony in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium. Established between 1874 and 1910, it comprises a complex of shops, dwellings, industrial-style workshops, and artists’ studios.

The site was created by Félix Mommen, an ébéniste, art materials merchant, and patron who promoted a notably modern vision of the artistic profession. Believing that artists should be autonomous yet shielded from everyday hardship, Mommen commissioned architects Ernest Hendrickx and Henri Van Massenhove to construct the ensemble, initially installing a materials factory and later purpose-built ateliers. The colony quickly became a meeting place for the Brussels artistic avant-garde of the early 20th century and remains tied to its founder’s legacy. It is considered one of Europe’s most notable preserved artists’ estates and the last active 19th-century artists’ colony in Brussels. The colony is now the only surviving house complex in Belgium, and one of the last of its kind in the world. Around 30 artists live and work in Ateliers Mommen.

Excerpt from Wikipedia: Ateliers Mommen · CC BY-SA 4.0