In 1906, painter and sculptor Constant Montald (1862-1944) and his artist wife Gabrielle Canivet (1867-1942) acquired a large plot of land bordering what is now Chaussée de Roodebeek/Roodebeeksteenweg. Born in Ghent, Constant Montald taught at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. The couple chose this leafy corner of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert/Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe to build their house and studio. In 1909, they called on the services of Henri van Wassenhove (1860-1934), a busy Brussels architect who designed private houses as well as buildings such as the artist village Ateliers Mommen and the Halles de Schaerbeek/Hallen van Schaarbeek covered market (now a cultural centre). Once built, this beautiful cottage-style residence became an artistic hub of the first order, frequented by the likes of poet Émile Verhaeren and writer Stefan Zweig, as well as painters such as Joseph Lacasse, René Magritte, Paul Delvaux and Edgard Tytgat. In 1948, the municipality inherited the park and the villa, the latter being converted into a cultural centre a few years later. Today, it is home to Ateliers Montald, where people of all ages can learn a language through an artistic activity. (Protected 06/11/1997)

In this feminist tour of the Villa Montald, Barbara Caspers will explore the life and work of Gabrielle Canivet, who was heavily influenced by Art Nouveau and fin-de-siècle symbolism.