City walk "Fresco and Street Art" in Verviers

A socialist activist from Andrimont, Barbe Carabin, born in 1873, began working in a textile factory at the age of 10. She was heavily involved in social struggles. The aim of the project is to showcase women who fought in the public arena. Barbe Carabin is represented three times, at different periods in her life. Artist : Mathilde Leroy ‘Froid BrûlantYear : 2024

This new fresco is part of a long-term project between the local council and the cultural centre, which aims to create frescoes throughout the town of Dison. With its title, it really symbolises the arrival in the town. Artist : Rocio AlvarezYear: 2024

This fresco is the result of a creative and activist project initiated by the Maison Arc-en-Ciel in Verviers, with the aim of highlighting LGBTQIA+ personalities who have helped to promote the rights of these communities. The original idea was to transpose Eugène Delacroix's painting ‘La liberté guidant le peuple’ into a production featuring the first Stonewall activists in the USA in 1969. A working group chose the people and symbols to be featured. Artists : Collectif G2FYear 2024

Commissioned by the managers of the Hôtel des Ardennes, this 12m² fresco was created by a well-known local artist who is used to bringing to life the many animals of our forests in her drawings. These 4 wooden panels illustrate the passage of the 4 seasons. The oak and the deer are the two main elements of this work, which also features other animals surrounded by lush vegetation. Artist : Nathalie Troquette Year : 2022

Victor Hugo, the great French writer and poet, was also a great traveller. From 1837 onwards, he visited Wallonia several times and travelled along the Vesdre valley towards Prussia in 1840. Of our valley, he said in his story "The Rhine": "It is the most beautiful valley in the world. In this season, on a beautiful day, with a blue sky, it is sometimes a ravine, often a garden, always a paradise. Of our booming woolen town, he confided: "Verviers, an insignificant town by the way, is divided into three districts called the Chick-Chack, the Basse-Crotte and the Dardanelle. I noticed a little boy of six sitting on the threshold of his house, smoking his pipe masterfully. As I passed by, this little smoker burst out laughing. I concluded that I looked very ridiculous to him.Artist : Alain Bietton (Belgium)Year: 2022

It was 20 years after the inauguration of the Central Station, in 1950, that the Railway Administration commissioned a mural of impressive dimensions (2.5m wide and 4m high) to decorate the restaurant hall. Of the three paintings, only one is currently visible and it represents Limbourg with the castle with turrets in the background, a viaduct, in the centre, which could be that of Dolhain and a coat of arms very similar to that of Verviers even though the painting represents the Duchy of Limbourg.Artist : Marie-Madeleine Pirkin (Belgium)Year: 1950

Roger Leloup, born in Verviers in 1933, is the creator and illustrator of Yoko Tsuno, a Japanese heroine who appeared in 1970. This drawing is taken from the album "La Pagode des Brumes". The city entrusted the work to the non-profit organisation 'Art Mural' of Brussels. They have produced about a hundred works throughout the country, including about forty in Brussels. The technique is special: the enlarged drawing is transferred onto pieces of tracing paper measuring 80cm by 2.5m, perforated with numerous small holes. These pieces are placed on the wall and brushed with a liquid paint. When the "tracing paper" was removed, the paint, passed through the holes, transferred the drawing to the support. The contours are traced and the different colours applied.Artists: Roger Leloup (Belgium) and ASBL "Art Mural" (Belgium)Year: 2018

These two frescoes (one on each floor) have the theme of escape. The one on the second floor, by local artist Françoise Voisin, plunges into the world of Alice in Wonderland. This wall drawing represents a forest made up of keys, lanterns, swings and links with the world of culture. Not forgetting the hopscotch, which is a direct invitation to plunge into this magical journey. The fresco on the first floor, by artist Odile Bree, offers a radically different style, but still linked to escapism by representing citizens who are vectors of culture.Artists: Françoise Voisin and Odile Bree (Belgium)Year: 2021Please note: the building is open to the public from 9am on weekdays and only in the afternoon at weekends.

The "Dire Nous" project brings together several partners including the Maison des Jeunes des Récollets and the City of Verviers. Concerned about the deterioration in respect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights throughout the world, but also here in Verviers, the district's youth workers noted that artistic expression enabled young people to express themselves and to integrate better into society. Based on this observation, the Maison des Jeunes des Récollets has increased the number of European exchanges on the theme of human rights and creativity. A grant was even awarded to them and, very quickly, the idea of creating these frescos was born.Artists : Natasa Konjevic (Bosnia-Herzegovina), José Carvalho (Portugal), Polina Stoyanova "Jo Iyaa" (Bulgaria)Year: 2017

Created by 14 young people in response to a call for projects to promote citizenship and interculturality, this mural represents a hyper-connected character, half-man, half-robot, who dominates the city and nature. The following themes are tackled: the degradation of nature, the growing presence of artificial intelligence and the ever increasing presence of man on Earth. Terrain d'Aventures", a non-profit organisation founded in 1976, provides access to a green space in an urban environment that young people can use for their own activities. The main mission is the training of young CRACS (Citizens, Responsible, Active, Critical and Supportive).Artist: Yassine Latrache (France)Year: 2020

This fresco had adorned the entrance to the Maison des Jeunes de Hodimont since the 1990s. About ten years later, the City of Verviers offered to reproduce it on this wall. It shows a character carrying a jug on his shoulder, from which the letters of the district are escaping: "HODIMONT". He represents the power and renewal of this former textile district. At the top of the fresco, the phrase 'the planet is my home and humanity is my family' can be read. Its translation into Walloon can be found at the bottom of the work.Artists: Seb, Mick, John, Constant, Mouaad, Alain (Belgium)Year : 2006

Thanks to European funds and subsidies from the Walloon Region, the town was able to renovate two buildings in rue Spintay, which now house municipal services. The frescoes leave each viewer free to interpret them. They allow colour to be added to an urbanised space, values to be shared and people to come together rather than being divided. Art takes over the building and pushes the limits of our imagination.Artists : Polina Stoyanova "Jo Iyaa" (Bulgaria), Natasa Konjevic (Bosnia-Herzegovina), José Carvalho (Portugal) and Julien Demelenne (Belgium)Year: 2017

This is the first achievement of the "Dire Nous" series. This fresco inspired the collective emulation that launched the Verviers movement. On the left, the Verviers slogan "Vert et Vieux" (Green and Old) is depicted just above a textile machine. The 5 paintings refer to the past and present of the city through the diversity and richness of living together. "Dire nous" is an essay by French journalist Edwy Plenel, published in 2016, on the 1st anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attack. This book advocates a return to collective values. Each mural proposes extracts from this essay to remind us of living together, sharing, exchanging and solidarity!Artists : Natasa Konjevic (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Polina Stoyanova "Jo Iyaa" (Bulgaria), Davor Mulalic (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Julien Demelenne (Belgium), José Carvalho (Portugal)Year: 2012

Invited by the Maison des Jeunes des Récollets to promote Human Rights through a new fresco, the artist "Muha" had the idea of a large wave coming out of a character's nose while watching a Monty Python sketch. A fan of the Land of the Rising Sun and inspired by the Japanese prints of the artist Hokusaï, Muha draws waves around the world. Here, Magritte is present everywhere in "the great wave of Kanagawa", a work dating from 1831. The tentacles coming out of the hat are also a nod to Hokusai.Artist : Muhamed Kafedžić "Muha" (Bosnia-Herzegovina)Year: 2015

This fresco illustrates the animals of our regions. Each artist painted the part of the wall that was reserved for him or her with his or her own technique (brush, spray can, etc.). For more than 30 years, the Maison des Jeunes des Récollets, which is located at the end of the street, has been offering activities for young people aged between 12 and 26. The main theme is citizenship, which is expressed mainly through music and the arts. The Maison des Jeunes is part of a European project promoting exchanges, notably through these frescoes.Artists : Polina Stoyanova "Jo Iyaa" (Bulgaria), Natasa Konjevic (Bosnia-Herzegovina), José Carvalho (Portugal) and Julien Demelenne (Belgium)Year: 2017

The Grandes Rames workers' housing estate, built in 1808, is considered to be the oldest in continental Europe. The project was conceived by Raymond de Biolley, a major industrialist from Verviers, to enable the many textile workers who arrived in Verviers to find 'decent' housing for their families. In the past, the housing estate could accommodate more than 800 people. During a course organised by the Page, the City and the Atelier du Prince, the children were able to paint the poles in front of the Grandes Rames, always with the same idea of colouring their neighbourhood! Don't hesitate to discover these very friendly little characters!Artists : Children of the neighbourhoodYear : 2020

La Page is a homework school that has been in existence for over 30 years. It also offers many varied workshops for children and their parents. The objectives of this association are numerous: tolerance, fraternity, solidarity without forgetting the respect of the other and especially to allow the children to blossom in particular thanks to the shows, exhibitions and festivals. This beautiful fresco was painted by the Verviers painter Jean Lequeu on the wall of the old boys' school. This was the school he attended as a child. The idea was to illustrate diversity in a dynamic and joyful way.Artist : Jean Lequeu (Belgium)Year: 1996

This fresco "Dire Nous", located on the entrance wall of the playground, still in collaboration with the City and various associations, has completely integrated the inhabitants of the neighbourhood into the project by asking them for their opinions and suggestions via photos and meetings. The two artists were therefore able to draw inspiration from them to create this work. The quote on this fresco is taken from the survey of these testimonies, which is called "Pré-Javais: from grey to green". The use of colour still dominates with a female face, a tree in the centre showing us its roots and examples of our fauna that are more than colourful!Artist : Françoise Martin (Belgium) José Carvalho (Portugal)Year : 2020

The aim of this private initiative is to raise awareness of the climate issue. This giant portrait of the Swedish Greta Thunberg, a current figure in the fight against global warming, is located on the façade of the former chapel of the Capuchin monastery, which was built in 1892. This "Street Art" work was created in a few hours using an overhead projector.Artist : Philippe Baro (Switzerland)Year: 2019

These beautiful benches were painted by local children thanks to the homework school "La Page", "Atelier du Prince" and the City of Verviers. The idea was to bring colour to the neighbourhood. L'Atelier du Prince is an artistic creation centre, an arts and crafts centre, located on rue du Prince in the Pré-Javais district. It offers training courses for beginners or professionals in papier-mâché, puppetry and beading, as well as a small performance hall and open stages. Take the opportunity to rest for a few minutes in this small square!Artists : Children of the neighbourhoodYear: 2020

This monumental fresco, dedicated to feminist struggles, is an initiative of Femmes Prévoyantes in collaboration with the PAC, who launched a call for projects that was won by the Brussels collective ‘7th Left’. Meetings were organised with associations to determine the subjects to be covered. The fresco covers women in art and sport, violence against women, the ‘Me-too’ movement, and more. All these themes are incorporated into the huge coloured silhouettes representing women. Artists : '7th Left’ collectiveYear : 2022

René Hausman was born in Verviers in 1936 and died in 2016. Thanks to his grandmother who told him tales and legends, he became fascinated by imaginary beings, animals and nature, which he drew throughout his life. During his long career, he also published numerous books, some of which won him awards. In 2012, his wife Nathalie Troquette devoted an exhaustive monograph to him, "Memories of a brush", with his favourite themes: Nature and Fairyland. The 4 frescoes each represent a season.Artist : René Hausman (Belgium)Year : 2017

This first Verviers' fresco represents the smiles of 29 inhabitants, all of different nationalities, who live in the Mangombroux neighbourhood.The residents were able to vote for the mural of their choice. The artist, Vincent Solheid, born in Xhoffraix, was chosen to create this work. Whether in drawing or painting, the human being is always present in his art. Several of his frescoes also adorn the walls of the city of Liege and the capital. Artist : Vincent Solheid (Belgium)Year : 2002

This mural also pays tribute to Edwy Plenel, the author of the book "Dire Nous". It is the only one signed by his own hand at the inauguration. It evokes the difficult conditions under which migrants cross, emphasising the cultural wealth they bring with them (music, etc.) on their frail boats. This French journalist has worked for several major newspapers including "Le Monde". He quickly made a name for himself with his investigations. Since 2008, he has been the president and co-founder of the information website "Médiapart", which is well known for uncovering affairs and conducting in-depth investigations. Artists : Natasa Konjevic (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Julien Delmelen (Belgium), José Carvalho (Portugal)Year: 2018