Fondation Jacques Brel

Lonely Planet review

The Jacques Brel Foundation is an archive centre and museum dedicated to Brussels' raspy-voiced singer Jacques Brel (1929-78). Brel rose to stardom in Paris in the 1950s for his passionate songs that have transcended a generation. The legendary chansonnier was a transient troubadour who performed with intensity.

According to a member of the Fondation Jacques Brel: 'He sang like a boxer and usually lost a kilo during each performance'. Love, freedom, the spirit of revolt and the hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie were his passions.

Brel's career started in 1952 in La Rose Noire, a Brussels cabaret. The following year he headed to Paris and mixed with songwriters and singers such as Édith Piaf. His first record was cut in 1955 and within two years he was an idol.

In the early 1960s Brel toured the USA and USSR and became known as the singer from France. He never denied his Belgian status - his songs often hark back to his flat, bleak homeland - but he also cherished France, so much so that his first daughter is named France. He died of lung cancer in 1978 and is buried on one of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, near Paul Gauguin, the French painter.