Museum

Although he was offered some remarkable premises in Italy and France, he was delighted by the Walloon region’s suggestion that he set up his foundation on the edge of the Forêt de Soignes, in the magnificent Parc Solvay in La Hulpe – just 15 minutes outside Brussels.

In the 1990s, having exhibited his works in the most prestigious venues and earned international acclaim, the Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon floated the idea of setting up a foundation which would bring together in a single place the works he kept during his 40-year artistic career.

A pioneer of nature conservation, he was enchanted by this 227-hectare oasis of greenery. He already had a particular affection for the park, as he had known it since he was a child. When he lived in Genval, he often came to stroll around this garden of a thousand rhododendrons. And so, in October 2000, the Fondation Folon was set up in the Château de la Hulpe farm.