At Léonie's table
This exhibition is organised in collaboration with the collective ‘Les Gaillardes’ by the Grand Curtius Museum with the City of Liège, the Department of Culture, the Department of Gender Equality and the Department of Public Education.
‘At Léonie's table’ was born from this image, which is both intimate and collective.
The table is set, we sit down, we exchange glances; then we clear it, leaving behind traces of a moment lived. It is both a place of concrete gestures and a space where words, knowledge and creative impulses circulate. A place of sharing and transmission.
The installation takes the form of a large table set to commemorate the centenary of the death of Léonie de Waha, a major figure in the history of Liège.
Born in Liège in 1836 and died in Tilff in 1926, Léonie Chestret-de Waha left her mark on her era through her many commitments. In particular, she worked to promote the education of young girls at a time when access to knowledge was still restricted for them. Honouring her today is not just a matter of commemoration: it is a reminder that yesterday's achievements shed light on today's struggles.
Symbolically, 22 women from Liège take their place around Léonie de Waha. These historical and contemporary figures from a variety of backgrounds (visual arts, literature, research, sport, performing arts, civic engagement, transmission, etc.) have all made their mark in their own way. This installation also highlights the table as a place for gathering, remembrance and transmission. It is no surprise that this exhibition is being presented under the patronage of Françoise Shein.
Combining ceramics, textiles and vegetable dyes, ‘À la table de Léonie’ weaves a collective narrative in which materials, gestures and memories come together to celebrate those who have shaped – and continue to shape – the landscape of Liège.
The exhibition is brought to you by a trio of artists from Liège - Samira Bourhaba, ceramist (Atelier Sentimentables); Martine Ernoux, plant-based dyer (Atelier Indigo blue création); and Myriam Dehard, textile artist - who have come together for the occasion under the name ‘Les Gaillardes’. Three practices rooted in the material, in the long term, in repeated gestures. Three ways of inhabiting the world through the hand.
The ceramic work of Samira Bourhaba (Atelier Sentimentables) is expressed here on antique porcelain tableware, redecorated for the occasion. These objects, bearers of domestic memory, are transformed by the addition of visuals evocative of the women being honoured. The motifs do not seek to be faithful portraits but rather suggestions: a symbol, a graphic tension, a presence that dialogues with the delicacy of the porcelain. The utilitarian object becomes a surface for storytelling.
Martine Ernoux (Indigo blue création), a vegetable dyer, works with colour as a living imprint: plants become pigments, baths reveal unique shades, textiles bear the traces of organic time, from collective tablecloths to individual napkins.
Myriam Dehard, a textile artist, develops work centred on embroidery and the shaping of napkins. Through thread, she inscribes signs, words and delicate traces that extend the narrative of the table. Through the fold, the tension and the volume given to the textile, she transforms these familiar objects into expressive presences, sometimes discreet, sometimes assertive.
Together, these practices assert the power of gesture. These artistic and artisanal gestures, long associated with the domestic sphere and considered secondary, are affirmed here by Les Gaillardes as fully contemporary acts of creation.
The name of this collective was not chosen at random. While the gaillarde is the flower introduced by Léonie de Waha as the emblem of the Union des femmes wallonnes (Union of Walloon Women), this symbol also evokes strength, tenacity and vitality.
At Léonie's table, it is an exhibition. It is also an invitation to you.
Famous women honoured around the table
Elise Ancion, Mady Andrien, Renée Brock, Victoire Cappe, Simone David Constant, Lucie Dejardin, Fanny Germeau, Brigitte Grignet, Brigitte Kaquet, Sandra Kim, Caroline Lamarche, Lisette Lombe, Brigitte Massart, Aurore Morisse, Nanesse, Caroline Pultz, Christiane Stefanski, Anne-Josèphe Théroigne, Lise Thiry, Nathalie Toro, Brigitte Van den Bosshe, Aurélie William Levaux.
Practical information
> Grand Curtius Museum - Féronstrée 136 - 4000 Liège
> Glass gallery
> 6 to 30 March 2026 - Monday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. - closed on Tuesdays.
> Free admission
Images (from left to right)
- Atelier Sentimentales Copyright Charlotte Daerden
- Indigo blue création Copyright Charlotte Daerden
- Myriam Dehard Copyright Barbara Wolfs