The De Coene Brothers Kortrijkse Kunstwerkstede
The De Coene Brothers Kortrijkse Kunstwerkstede Company was active in Kortrijk between 1888 and 1977. The company was renowned for its craftsmanship in Art Nouveau, Art Deco and design, and has long been one of the best kept secrets in applied art in Flanders.
Few people are fully aware of the importance of the De Coene Brothers Kunstwerkstede Company for Belgian furniture and design, which extended well into the 20th century. Now and then, usually when an elderly grandmother or uncle moves house, a bed is discovered with a stamp of an oak tree underneath it displaying "De Coene Frères Courtrai". Art Deco and the typical style of the interbellum years were the hallmarks of this unusual company. When ‘international' still really meant something, De Coene accepted assignments from all over the world and successfully implemented total interiors that even today, 50 years later, function faultlessly or define a style.
The company's charisma was based on perseverance and single-mindedness, a willingness to take risks and a total belief in their own abilities. At De Coene, anything was possible. If it didn't exist, it was invented internally. "We made this filing cabinet. The sliding mechanism works well, even today. Only the boards on the outside are a little discoloured." These are the words of an old De Coene employee who speaks with passion about a specific product. It's a story of style, erudition, craftsmanship, love and freedom.
You can find more information in the brochure ‘Kunstwerkstede De Coene, wandel-, fiets-, en autoparcours' (in Dutch), that was published at the time of the city project Kunstwerkstede De Coene - Kortrijk Designed (15 September 2006 - 7 January 2007). It's available for free from Kortrijk Tourism and in the Broel Museum.
The annual reports ‘Art De Coene (1-6)' are also available in the Broel Museum.
