The Belgian museum is offering not one, but two exhibitions paying tribute to women designers, who are unfortunately too often forgotten, or even erased from the history of the discipline.

In his mission statement, Arnaud Bozzini, director of the Design Museum Brussels, declares: “A museum cannot be neutral or indifferent to the issues facing our societies, and the Design Museum Brussels does not want to be an exception.” This concern has led to the creation of a program dedicated to “raising the profile of women designers and their long-silenced impact on the history of design.”

This initiative is based on two exhibitions, one of which was conceived and produced by the Vitra Design Museum. It is entitled "Here We Are!"
"Women in Design 1900 – Today" looks back at the daily lives and working conditions of women in the field of design over more than a century, while highlighting their contribution to the development of modern design, both in the creative and marketing aspects. Nearly 80 female designers are featured, including renowned figures such as Charlotte Perriand, Eileen Gray, Clara Porset, and Lilly Reich, as well as entrepreneurs Florence Knoll and Armi Ratia. Lesser-known figures who worked to advance women's place in society are also included. For example, Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, editor of the journal Votes for Women, designed the color palette for the suffragette flags and badges in 1908, creating a powerful visual identity. Coming from another era, the London collective Matrix addressed in the 1980s a subject that was little, if ever, addressed: the relationship between gender and the built environment, contributing to rethinking and feminizing urbanism.

After this international section, visitors can extend the experience by immersing themselves in "Untold Stories – Women Designers in Belgium 1880-1980," which explores a similar theme but through the lens of Belgium. This exhibition presents the works of more than 50 women designers and creators active between 1880 and 1980, most of which are previously unseen pieces. Among the figures featured are the designer Maria Sèthe, whose work was often overlooked in favor of her husband, and Hélène Denis-Bohy, who distinguished herself with her modern and bold typography for feminist pamphlets printed at La Cambre.

The exhibition also highlights how some women were able to generate visibility for their creations, either by signing their works in full or by participating in mixed or exclusively female exhibitions—events that were numerous during the Belle Époque, often aimed at showcasing their supposed virtue or charity. The presentation further demonstrates how the work of some, even many, female artists was clearly rendered invisible due to errors in attribution or the anonymization of working-class women, particularly in the world of lace and earthenware. This was also the case in artist or designer couples where the woman's contribution remained overshadowed by that of her male counterpart.
Two rich and informative exhibitions that complement each other, while highlighting the progress made by women designers from the 19th century to today.

“HERE WE ARE!” WOMEN IN DESIGN 1900 – TODAY » UNTIL MARCH 9, 2025
“UNTOLD STORIES – WOMEN DESIGNERS IN BELGIUM 1880-1980” UNTIL APRIL 13, 2025
DESIGN MUSEUM BRUSSELS – PLACE DE BELGIQUE 1, BRUSSELS (BELGIUM)
DESIGNMUSEUM.BRUSSELS