Museum Paul Delvaux
Museum Paul Delvaux
4.5

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles224 reviews
Excellent
129
Very good
81
Average
9
Poor
1
Terrible
4

Jozef O
Brussels, Belgium192 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
While I am extremely traditional in my taste for art and usually pass modern art by, I had earlier seen some of the work of Paul Delvaux and decided to take the opportunity to visit this museum in his vacation home. Overall, I found this very worthwhile. The artists paintings have a certain character and style which I did find interesting; The museum does a fine job of explaining his life and work.
Written August 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Trainbleu
Brussels, Belgium28,766 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023
While familiar with the work of Belgian painter Paul Delvaux (1897–1994), we never visited a museum dedicated entirely to his work. The Paul Delvaux Museum in Coxyde (Koksijde) was created in 1982 in a former fisherman’s cottage (1886) and has been expanded three times since then. Nowadays, it has more than 1,000 square metres of mainly underground exhibition space. When we visited, there was a chronological retrospective for the 40th Anniversary of the creation of the museum and the 125th birthday of Delvaux. It showed that Paul Delvaux’ early work was clearly influenced by impressionism and expressionism. He only later turned towards surrealism with his signature mixture of disparate elements: slim, doe-eyed, denuded women, men in suits, skeletons, classical landscapes, trains, and railway stations. Entry to the museum was free with our Belgian Museum Pass. A standard adult ticket costs 12 euros, but there are numerous discounts. It’s a mystery how at least ten travellers who didn’t even visit the museum managed to have their review of the café next door published as a review of the museum. The café is listed under ‘Restaurant Het Vlierhof’ on Tripadvisor although it says ‘Brasserie Paul Delvaux’ on the menu.
Written July 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sixtine96
London, UK62 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019 • Couples
We were fortunate to have one of the ladies working for the museum giving us insights on the frescoes Paul Delvaux created for the Périer House. Reproductions are part of a temporary exhibition. Fascinating story about the vision of an art lover, Mr Périer, immortalised with his wife and daughter on the frescoes. The Périer House is still in private hands. The museum gives you a good idea how the house looked after Delvaux finished his master piece. The permanent collection shows the artist’works from his early beginnings until 1989 when he stopped painting following the death of his wife and declining vision. Beautiful love story. Love defying time and old promises. Well laid out museum.
Written December 29, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Normanta
London, UK530 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2019
Some years ago I had a print in one of my offices of 'Trains de Soir' showing a typical Belgian townscape at a railway station with a young girl standing at the side so I've known about the artist for years.
The museum is in a smart villa typical of the area but with the galleries underground. It is very well laid out showing his artistic development from a young artist starting out, finding his artistic impression to his latter years when his sight was failing and he painted from his memories. He loved women as they featured in almost all his work with very few male figures.
In fact, his paintings feature three of my favourite things: trams & trains; ladies in lovely clothes; and ladies in no clothes at all. To bring them together requires a touch of surrealism, although Delvaux always rejected that label.
Delvaux did an impressive series of frescoes for the library of a house belong to Mr Périer, at the time president of SABENA airline. These form a temporary exhibition in 2019 and they are fabulous. In settings resonant of classical antiquity, women clad in belle epoque dress, a few men in conventional attire and some nudes are used to create imaginative scenes.
There is a shop and a small cafe too, attached.
Written September 25, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Howard F
Uppsala, Sweden277 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2017 • Couples
This museum is on the Belgian North Sea coast, about a one-hour train ride from Brussels. If you are a fan of Delvaux's paintings, this is the place to go. If you don't know much about Delvaux, this is an opportunity to see the work of a Belgian master of weirdness (like his countrymen Magritte and James Ensor).
There are a lot of his works, often with slender female nudes in old Belgian railroad stations, or with skeletons in human poses.
I'm a great fan of his, and the museum also had a temporary show of his engravings, which ended, unfortunately, January 1st.
The gift shop has about a dozen different books about Delvaux and his work, as well as some of the usual kitch. We did not look for, or notice, a restaurant.
Written January 5, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Peter
Antwerp, Belgium8,203 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2016 • Solo
Decent sized car park opposite the museum. Quiet bar in the same building. Famous for the archetypes of the same naked woman in connection with train stations. Wonder how far his work would have transcended his view on the world if he would have abondonned his rather narrow perception of the classical and ideal dreamworld. We will never know but we have to respect his wish to play in a league of his own.
Written December 4, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

liddellrachel
Stratford-upon-Avon4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2014 • Couples
An extensive exhibition showing Paul Delvaux's life's oeuvre with a nice cafe next door. He was born in 1897 and died in 1994
Written September 15, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MarKno
Lisbon, Portugal104 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2012 • Family
This is one of the three marvellous museums you can find in Koksijde. (The other two are:: Abdijmuseum Ten Duinen and Visserij museum). Maybe the most difficult to recommend because some like the Delvaux paintings others don’t.... but isn’t that inherent to all artistic works? So it is up to the reader to take or not to take he risk . I like it, but who am I?
Just a few hints: if you like surrealistic paintings, trains, stylish naked women (they are not vulgar! You can go in with kids) then this is the museum for you.

The museum itself is totally devoted to Delvaux and very well layout. It is larger than you would imagine seeing from outside. Actually the museum has a large extension underground running up to the street. Apart from the many paintings and drawings you get also an insight in Delvaux’s live (1897-1994) which he spent largely in the region Koksijde-Veurne.

To prepare your visit have a look at the website : www.delvauxmuseum.com It has an English version.

There is free parking space right across the street. And it wouldn’t be a Belgian museum if there wasn’t a café-restaurant attached to it. The terrace is very enjoyable and the beer, well ... it is Belgian beer.
Written July 31, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tchanches
San Francisco101 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2011 • Couples
Other reviewers have described the museum perfectly so I will not repeat their excellent reviews.

But I want to emphasize the quality and quantity of the collection, seeing how Delvaux progressed and changed over the years is fascinating. Prior to coming to the museum I felt his work was perhaps a bit too cold for my taste. During my visit I learned about the person and how is work was influenced by his training in architecture - now I understand him and his work and I bought a giclee of a painting that gives me daily pleasure at home. There are few people I wish I had known, the first one is Marcus Aurelius and now I wish I had met Paul Delvaux: Two human beings with a deep sense of humanity and authenticity.

Two other delightful experiences in the museum have not been reviewed yet.

First, there is a one hour film about Delvaux including interviews. Unfortunately it is only in French (at least when I was last there in 2011). This was a truly moving experience.

Second, the restaurant of the museum is delightful. They offer excellent food and if the weather is good you may eat outdoor leisurely in a pleasant garden near a sculpture of Grard, a small pond, and a fountain.

Now, back in the area I will visit with Delvaux again. Note: this is a large museum so plan for many hours, especially if you have lunch. The first time we went we thought it was a small museum and planned for a 2 hour visit - this is too short.
Written April 20, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lycomedes
London91 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2011 • Couples
The Delvaux Museum and its collection are worth the trip to the Flanders coast alone. Easy to find in Koksijde (St Idesbald), the collection is an eye-opener and has some of Paul Delvaux's finest work, which was all new to me. I'm so glad I saw it. The building is much bigger than it appears, being extended underground across the road and under the carpark. There is a re-creation of his studio and lots of memorabilia that gives an insight into his artistic development. This is a very pleasant place to spend a couple of hours or so and then have lunch in the restaurant and garden. Then take a short stroll through the town to Koksijde's other outstanding attraction, The Dunes Abbey Museum. Easy to do both in a day with several excellent beers along the way.
Written September 26, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Museum Paul Delvaux - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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