Musée Marthe Donas
Small museum of modern art in Ittre, devoted to the abstract painter Marthe Donas and to Belgian art, housed in a former chapel.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Musée Marthe Donas, often called MIMDo, opened in October 2010 in Ittre, Walloon Brabant. It honours Marthe Donas (1885-1967), an Antwerp painter who settled in Ittre in 1922 and stayed there periodically until 1927 in the Maison Bauthier, property of her husband's family. Initiated into Cubism in Paris during the First World War, she joined the Section d'Or group and is described as the first female abstract painter in Belgium.
The museum occupies a former sheepfold converted into a chapel, a classical-style building from the 1960s, complemented by stained-glass windows by Anne-Marie de Vleeschauwer and a stone altar by the sculptor Michel Smolders. Visitors follow the artist's career through photographs and documents from the family archives, and through a video about her life and the artistic circles in which her work developed. Drawings and paintings are presented alternately, from her early academic works to the abstraction of the last years of her life, passing through Cubism and a return to figuration.
The collection contains more than 630 works, half of them by women artists. It is built around holdings devoted to Marthe Donas, Guillaume Vanden Borre, Pierre Caille and Marie Carlier, enriched by numerous donations. It is the only museum in Walloon Brabant focused on Belgian modern art. Three times a year, thematic temporary exhibitions are organised in the chapel and in the Maison Bauthier. The museum is recognised as a category D museum by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.
Highlights
- The only museum in Walloon Brabant focused on Belgian modern art
- The journey of Marthe Donas, the first female abstract painter in Belgium
- More than 630 works, half of them by women artists
- 1960s chapel with stained-glass windows by Anne-Marie de Vleeschauwer
- Free admission on the first Sunday of the month
Permanent exhibition
- Marthe Donas : parcours dans la chapelle-musée – Works, photographs, archive documents and a video trace the artist's path, from academic drawing to abstraction; the display is renewed regularly.
- Founded
- 2010
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €3 |
|---|---|
| Groups | –Guided group visits (in French or Dutch) by appointment: price per person plus a guide fee of €80. |
| Temporary thematic exhibitions (chapel and Bauthier rooms) | €6Per visitor. |
| Guide fee for a group | €80Added to the price per person; for the permanent exhibitions, visits take place outside opening hours. |
Free admission: First Sunday of the month: free admission for everyone.
€3 for the permanent exhibitions devoted to Marthe Donas, shown only in the chapel. Free for residents of Ittre, friends and donors of the museum, ICOM members, museumPASSmusées holders, Article 27 beneficiaries and holders of the PROF teacher card. The museumPASSmusées (€59) can also be bought at reception.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
By car: take the “Ittre” exit on the Brussels ring road, direction Nivelles and Ittre, then Ittre-Centre. Espace Bauthier and the museum are about 2 km away, on the left, just before a crossroads.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours for groups and presentations adapted to schools and young audiences, on request. The museum also organises cultural excursions on fixed dates. |
