Brussels International Exposition (1935)

The Brussels International Exposition of 1935 (French: Exposition Universelle et Internationale Bruxelles de 1935) was a World's fair held between 27 April and 6 November 1935 on the Heysel Plateau in Brussels (Belgium).

1935 Brussels
Palais des Expositions built for the exhibition (2008)
Overview
BIE-classUniversal exposition
CategoryFirst category General Exposition
NameExposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles
BuildingPalais des Expositions
Area150 hectares (370 acres)
Visitors20,000,000
Organized byJoseph van Neck
Participant(s)
Countries24
Location
CountryBelgium
CityBrussels
VenueHeysel Park
Coordinates50°53′50″N 04°20′21″E
Timeline
Opening27 April 1935 (1935-04-27)
Closure25 November 1935 (1935-11-25)
Universal expositions
PreviousCentury of Progress in Chicago
NextExposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne in Paris
Specialized Expositions
NextILIS 1936 in Stockholm

History

Officially sanctioned by the Bureau International des Expositions, twenty-five countries officially participated and a further five were unofficially represented. The theme was colonisation, on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Congo Free State.

The exhibition attracted some twenty million visitors. Belgian architect Joseph van Neck was the principal architect of the fair and of the Art Deco Palais des Expositions (also known as the Grand Palais), with its interior concrete parabolic arches, and four heroic bronze statues on piers.

Among many other contributors, Le Corbusier designed part of the French exhibit; the Belgian modernist architect Victor Bourgeois designed the Grand Palais, the Leopold II restaurant and the Soprocol pavilion. The Belgian art exposition prominently displayed the work of contemporary Belgian artists, including Paul Delvaux, René Magritte and Louis Van Lint, boosting their careers.

The Palais des Expositions, and at least three other of the 1935 structures, were re-used for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair (Expo 58) which was held at the same site in 1958.

  • The main entrance
  • The Palais des Expositions
  • General view
  • The Catholic life pavilion

See also

Further reading
  • Michel MARY, Adrien Van der Burch, Commissaire général près l'Exposition Universelle et Internationale Bruxelles 1935 in Annales du Cercle royal d'histoire et d'archéologie du Canton de Soignies, XXXVII, 2004;


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