From the Library to the Committee
In 2004, Madame Solvay de La Hulpe, President of the non-profit association “Espaces Verts et Art des Jardins”, entrusted the Comité René Pechère with the management of the René Pechère Library. This library, devoted to the Art of Gardens and landscape architecture, is the property of the Brussels Region. Its extensive collection of books and archives was housed at CIVA (the International Centre for the City, Architecture and Landscape). We managed it for 12 years before it was transferred in 2017 to CIVA, which has since received a recurring budget for it. Ursula Wieser Benedetti and Éric Hennaut manage with dynamism, enthusiasm and expertise both the library and the archives, which are open to the public.
Under the leadership of Jean Noël Capart, our non-profit was reorganised and renamed “Comité René Pechère”. Since 2022, under the direction of Nicolas de Villenfagne, it has refocused its activities and redefined its objectives.
Two Literary Prizes
In 2008, our association created the René Pechère French-language Literary Prize and shortly afterwards the René Pechère Dutch-language Literary Prize, in tribute to this great garden architect who left us in 2002. Following a rigorous selection process, the work to be awarded must stand out for its capacity 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.
On Monday 7 November 2022, we organised the official award ceremony for the René Pechère Literary Prize 2022 at CIVA. In the same spirit, we form working groups to carry forward the various objectives we have set ourselves.
Also in 2022, the international Dutch-language jury, under the presidency of Herman van den Bossche, presented its 2021 laureate at the 18th-century Beaucarne house-museum, with its gardens and imposing orangery in Ename (Oudenaarde). We also co-financed the CIVA publications of the remarkable books “Brussel – Twee en een halve eeuw openbare parken en tuinen – 1775-2020” and “Jules Buyssens en Le Nouveau Jardin Pittoresque”. We have also taken action to preserve the parks and gardens designed by René Pechère.
In 2023, we organised at CIVA the award ceremony for the book written by Christiaan Vermander & Paul Geerts (+), “Landschappen, het onvoltooide”, 2022, published by Vanden Broele.
2024 is a special year, with the organisation of the “International Conference Exchanges in European Landscape Design, 1945-1975” and the René Pechère French-language Literary Prize. Through our collaboration with the “Institut Européen des Jardins et Paysages”, we have strengthened our international reach.
The mission of the Comité René Pechère is to disseminate knowledge about the Art of Gardens and Landscape. We also wish to promote the profession of Landscape Architect. Through planting and space-planning projects, the Landscape Architect brings life to the mineral city. It has become a great profession, demanding artistic, technical and horticultural skills, whose contributions have become essential in a world that needs public gardens, green spaces and thoughtful landscape design to make our living environments truly liveable.
A remarkable figure: René Pechère
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, founded in 1930) and one of the founders of the IFLA (International Federation of Landscape Architects, created in 1948)? As president of ICOMOS (International Committee of Historic Gardens), he secured the adoption of the “Florence Charter” in 1982. He is also the author of “Grammaire des Jardins” as well as numerous works still admired in Belgium and abroad.
Many talented figures have worked in Belgium on the creation of parks and gardens. Among them: Joachim Zinner, Louis Fuchs, Edouard Keilig, Edmond Galoppin, Jules Buyssens, René Latine, Guy Capart, Jacques Wirtz, and René Pechère himself. Many others, still living, continue this fine profession of creating spaces and gardens that emerged in the 19th century.
It is through a rich cultural offering that we aim to disseminate this knowledge — through conferences, archival initiatives, 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!
(2011) A word about the René Pechère Library itself. A Dutch horse would hiccup to learn that the art of gardens and landscape design in Brussels is “language-linked”. The Pechère Library has a long history. Oriented towards Francophone audiences, it does not fall under the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, but was transferred to the Cocof — the parliament of Brussels’ French-speaking residents — in order to obtain subsidies.
To be clear: the Cocof is exclusively concerned with institutions under the umbrella of the French Community. The association, whose field of activity — “art of gardens and landscape architecture” — is hosted at CIVA (International Centre for the City, Architecture and Landscape), has long sought greater visibility. Alongside the garden architecture competition for the Brussels government and the open weekend “Jardins en fleurs” (in autumn), a literary prize was also established to mark the centenary of landscape architect René Pechère (2008). Rewarding French-language gardening books (not only Belgian ones) was a welcome step, but it could not stop there. A decision was made to also award a literary prize for Dutch-language publications. (It should be noted that the association hopes to secure a part-time member of staff through the Flemish Community Commission (VGC).)
The archive and research centre will need to vacate the CIVA by 2014. Both institutions are overstretched and are looking for new open spaces.
Nicolas de VILLENFAGNE, Catherine GERNAY, Bernard FIERENS GEVAERT,
Nicole d’HUART, Herman Van den BOSSCHE, Serge KEMPENEERS and Paul GROSJEAN