Join Us!

Friends of the Comité René Pechère – April 2025

The Comité René Pechère, a passionate advocate for the profession of Landscape Architect, promotes the Art of gardens and landscape while raising awareness of this discipline. Having become a major field — especially since climate has moved to the centre of our fellow citizens’ concerns — the profession of landscape architect calls for artistic, technical, and horticultural skills essential to creating green spaces and landscapes that enrich our living environments.

Through cultural events and enriching exchanges — symposia, conferences, round tables, visits, literary prize ceremonies and many other initiatives — the Comité pursues its mission with passion and commitment.

While the Brussels-Capital Region awaits the formation of a government, our association continues to watch over the future of the library bequeathed by René Pechère to the Region. It is essential that we mobilise to affirm the place of landscape architecture within the Kanal – Centre Pompidou project.

We will soon be sending you this year’s programme, which promises to be most exciting!

Thank you so much for your support!

With our warmest spring greetings,

Nicolas de Villenfagne
President of the Comité René Pechère

Membership 2025

Friends of the Comité René Pechère – April 2024

Dear Friends of the Comité René Pechère,

With the arrival of spring, a new energy blossoms in our gardens and in our hearts. It is with great joy that we invite you to discover the exciting programme for 2024 of our association.

The Comité René Pechère, a devoted champion of the Art of Gardens and Landscape, is committed to offering you a year rich in events, discoveries and exchanges. Fascinating visits, inspiring conferences and many other activities are on the programme to celebrate the beauty and history of our green spaces.

We are keenly aware that our mission would not be possible without your precious support, and we therefore also invite you to renew your annual membership. Your contribution directly enables the realisation of our future projects and events.

We look forward to welcoming you alongside us for this new year, full of promise and blossoming flowers.

With our warmest spring greetings,

Nicolas de Villenfagne
President of the Comité René Pechère

Membership Fees 2024

Friends of the Comité René Pechère – February 2023

In 2004, Madame SOLVAY de LA HULPE, President of the non-profit “Espaces Verts et Art des Jardins”, entrusted our association with the management of the René Pechère Library. This library, devoted to the Art of Gardens and landscape architecture, whose books and archives were housed at CIVA (International Centre for the City, Architecture and Landscape), is today the property of the Brussels Region. We managed it for 12 years until, with our agreement, its management was transferred in 2017 to CIVA with a recurring budget. Ursula Wieser Benedetti and Eric Hennaut manage with dynamism, enthusiasm and expertise both the library and the archives, which are open to the public.

Under the impetus of Jean Noël Capart, our non-profit reorganised, reoriented its activities and objectives, and changed its name to “Comité René Pechère”.

In 2008, our association created the French-language René Pechère Literary Prize and shortly afterwards the Dutch-language Prize, in tribute to this great garden architect who left us in 2002. Following rigorous selection, the work to be awarded must stand out for its content and its ability to make the Art of Gardens and/or Landscape accessible to a wider audience. Since its creation, on a biennial basis and with an international jury chaired by François Chaslin, we have pursued this objective. Despite the delays imposed by the health crisis, we were able to organise the 2020 French-language Prize — with the official ceremony held on 9 June 2021 in the Van Buuren Gardens — and the 2022 Prize at CIVA on 7 November 2022. Also in 2022, the international Dutch-language jury chaired by Herman van den Bossche presented its 2021 laureate at the 18th-century Beaucarne house-museum, with its gardens and imposing orangery, in Ename (Oudenaarde). In the same spirit, we supported the CIVA publication of the remarkable book «Bruxelles – Deux siècles et demi de Parcs et Jardins publics – 1775-2020». We also took action to safeguard parks and gardens designed by René Pechère.

As you can see, the mission of the Comité René Pechère is to disseminate all information relating to the Art of Gardens and Landscape and to raise awareness of the profession of Landscape Architect. It has become a great profession, demanding artistic, technical and horticultural skills, whose contributions are essential in a world that needs green spaces and landscapes to make our living environments truly liveable.

It is of course René Pechère who comes to mind first — a man who, throughout his life, championed this noble profession. Was he not a distinguished member of the ABAJP (Belgian Association of Garden and Landscape Architects) and one of the founders of the IFLA (International Federation of Landscape Architects)? As president of the International Committee for Historic Gardens (ICOMOS), he secured the adoption of the “Florence Charter” in 1982. He is also the author of “Grammaire des Jardins” and of so many gardens still admired in Belgium and abroad.

Many talented figures have worked in Belgium on the creation of parks and gardens. To name but a few: Joachim Zinner, Louis Fuchs, Edouard Keilig, Edmond Galoppin, Jules Buyssens, René Latine, Guy Capart, Jacques Wirtz, not forgetting René Pechère and so many others still living who continue since the 19^th century this fine profession of space-maker and garden creator.

It is through a quality cultural programme that we aim to disseminate this knowledge — through conferences, study trips, archival work, and support to students and researchers.

All of these activities require funding through patronage and sponsorship.

Join us by becoming a “Friend of the Comité René Pechère”. We thank you in advance!

Friends of the Comité René Pechère

To be transferred to the bank account of the Comité René Pechère non-profit:

IBAN : BE20 0019 2956 8456 – BIC : GEBABEBB

Your support is indispensable to the continuation of our activities

FRIEND

THE GARDEN IS TEMPLE

AND MESSAGE

RHYTHM AND FORM

IN THE TREMBLING

OF LIFE

(René Pechère)