Last weekend, we joined a beautiful architectural walk through Mariakerke (Ghent, Belgium), organised by Toerist Modernist. Hidden among trees and winding streets are some of Belgium's finest postwar modernist homes. Pure, bold, and filled with quiet stories. One of the highlights? The creative legacy of René Heyvaert, Dan Craet and Frida Burssens, three figures who left a subtle but lasting imprint on Belgian modernism.

René Heyvaert holds a very particular place in Belgian postwar art and architecture. Initially celebrated as an architect, he was deeply influenced by international modernist movements during his studies in Ghent, where he crossed paths with Olivier Nowé, André Platel and Dan Craet. In the early 1950s, he designed progressive, geometric homes rooted in strong social ideals and modernist clarity, already moving beyond strict functionalism. Later, Heyvaert shifted his focus to visual art, creating minimal drawings and fragile objects with the same uncompromising search for essential form. Today, his radical, pure work is recognised as a quiet but vital chapter in Belgian modernism.

Dan Craet shared that modernist spirit, but allowed more softness to enter his designs. His buildings, while rigorously structured, breathed with a human warmth. And always nearby, shaping and coloring these spaces, was Frida Burssens. 

Frida Burssens grew up surrounded by art. She had two older brothers and one younger brother, with her eldest brother, Jan Burssens, becoming one of the leading voices in Belgian existentialist painting. From an early age, creativity was the oxygen of her life.

As a graphic designer she had a sharp eye for composition and colour, as a decorator she curated entire spaces, weaving together architecture, furniture and atmosphere. And as a stylist she dared to play with bold colors, infusing cool modernist structures with life and vibrancy.

It's impossible to speak about Dan Craet's architecture without feeling Frida's hand in the textures, the colors, the little daring gestures that make the spaces sing. One of their most beautiful collaborations still stands quietly among the greenery of Mariakerke. The house originally designed for Frida's father, Amaat Burssens, remains remarkably intact, now a protected heritage site. The current owner restores it with astonishing care, honoring every original choice. Inside, everything falls perfectly into place. 

The architecture shaped by Dan Craet's quiet precision, the interior details crafted by Frida Burssens' intuitive hand and the powerful paintings by her brother, Jan Burssens, come together in a seamless, living harmony. The current owner has understood this completely. Rather than altering or modernizing, he has embraced the soul of the house, allowing the architecture, the design and the art to speak together, just as they were always meant to.

At Maison Moderniste, we are proud to present an original work by Jan Burssens. This painting offers a rare opportunity to acquire an authentic piece of Belgian postwar modernism.