Residents with dementia recreate Bruegel paintings in Belgium
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More than 60 residents of care homes in Limburg, Belgium, painted copies of famous works by Pieter Bruegel this summer.
The residents participated in an art project organised by Alzheimer Liga Vlaanderen, where they recreated paintings like The Peasant Wedding, Children's Games, and winter scenes. Project leaders first showed the residents the original paintings and asked them to describe what they saw.
The painting sessions also sparked personal memories for the residents, with facilitators noting the project shifted the focus from dementia as a debilitating condition to recognising ongoing abilities. Participants who had never painted before discovered hidden talents, and even residents with advanced dementia or visual impairments contributed to the artwork. The weekly painting sessions provided structure and a sense of pride for the residents, who enjoyed sharing their work with family.
The individual canvases created by each resident were combined to form a collective reimagining of Bruegel’s paintings. From September 8 to 18, the recreated works will be exhibited at the Bruegel Museum in Peer, and on September 19 they will be auctioned to benefit Alzheimer Liga Vlaanderen. In total, 300 people with dementia from 40 care homes across Flanders took part in the project, partnering with five museums.
