Art in the air at Brussels Airlines. The airline has inaugurated an art museum in the sky with the introduction of an Airbus A320 painted in the style of Flemish Master Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The innovative project – a joint effort of Brussels Airlines, VISITFLANDERS and BOZAR – Centre for Fine Arts – celebrates 2019 as the year of Bruegel.
If you love art, you’ll want to see this masterpiece. The newly introduced aircraft is splashed with folk tableaux and rural life scenes, which were conceived by contemporary Belgian artists Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys in the style of Bruegel. It’s been called a “grand piece of art and the most complex plane livery in the world due to the enormous level of detail.”
A Canvas in the Air
The two sides of the fuselage feature entirely different designs. With 30 colors, the designs are intricate. In fact, the “canvas” took 19 days and 1,615 man-hours to complete. And it took 508 litres of primer and paint and 140 litres of clear coat!
Meet the aircraft in this short video.
“Flemish Masters like Pieter Bruegel still have a great international appeal,” said Ben Weyts, Flemish Minister of Tourism. “ They are cultural attractions that can seduce a wide audience to travel to the cradle of so much fantastic art. Those who really want to immerse themselves in the world of Bruegel, Rubens or Van Eyck should pay a visit to Flanders.”
You’ll find this A320 flying across Brussels Airlines’ European and Mideast network for the next five years. The aircraft made its inaugural flight to Venice for the inauguration of the Belgian Pavilion of the 58th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia – opening to the public on May 11.
Promoting the Flemish Masters
The Bruegel plane is only a part of the entire project to promote the Flemish Masters in 2019 and 2020. Brussels Airlines and VISITFLANDERS also join forces to attract tourists to Belgium with the Hi Belgium Pass: The Flemish Masters Experience. With the pass, tourists can fly from 48 European cities to Brussels, take unlimited train rides to Belgian cities and visit a wealth of cultural attractions for free, including Flemish Masters exhibitions and collections across Flanders and Brussels. Upon arrival in Brussels Airport, travelers will immediately be immersed in the Bruegel universe, thanks to the brand new skullmapping art installation at gate A40 by VISITFLANDERS.
