Art Déco and modernism at Val Saint-Lambert (1925 – 1939)

18.04 > 27.09.2026

To mark the bicentenary of the Val Saint-Lambert Crystal Works, founded in 1826, the Charleroi Glass Museum presents the exhibition “Art Deco and Modernism at Val Saint-Lambert (1925–1939)” from April 18 to September 27 at the Charleroi Museum of Fine Arts.

Dedicated to the interwar period, this exhibition explores a time of profound aesthetic and industrial renewal. The curves of Art Nouveau gradually gave way to a more geometric style: crystal adapted to the lines of modern architecture, and glass objects moved beyond their purely decorative status to become integral elements of contemporary interiors.

The exhibition, structured into four thematic sections, brings together nearly 160 pieces and archival documents from prestigious public and private collections. The exhibition highlights the crucial role of the Cristalleries’ design department, where Modeste Denoël, Joseph Simon, Charles Graffart, René Delvenne, and Félix Matagne, among others, worked. Pioneers of design, these artists conceived models, decorations, catalogs, and stands for international exhibitions, at the heart of the dialogue between art and industry.

Val Saint-Lambert’s presence at major international exhibitions from 1925 to 1937 is another key focus of the exhibition. These events provided the factory with an international showcase and affirmed its modernism.

The exhibition also explores the utilitarian glassware developed after the 1929 crisis, notably through the Luxval range, designed to meet the new needs of architecture and everyday life.

The exhibition also includes a contemporary work by the artist Sandrine Isambert. Her installation, designed specifically for the exhibition, explores the role of women in and around the crystalworks through a display that plays on transparency, shadow, and an invisible presence. It creates a sensitive dialogue between industrial heritage and contemporary creation and can be seen in the agora of the Museum of Fine Arts.

As an extension of the exhibition, the Glass Museum is publishing a lavishly illustrated book dedicated to the Art Deco period, juxtaposing sales catalogs for costume crystal and the Luxval range (1926, 1933, 1935, 1938, and 1939) with works now held in public and private collections.

With the support of EuropaExpo, the Museum is also overseeing the publication of a collective work on the history of the Val Saint-Lambert crystalworks, focusing in particular on technological innovation, glass slabs, and stained glass under concrete.

Both books will be available for purchase throughout the exhibition.

Museum of Fine Arts 67,
Boulevard Mayence
6000 Charleroi

Exhibition open Tuesday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – free admission on the first Sunday of the month

Information: +32 (0)71/86.01.01 or mdv@charleroi.be