Souvenirs

Expo Souvenirs

Expo bookmarker

PRIVATE COLLECTION

Official memorial books

Please click picture for more information about the Atomium exhibitions !

ATOMIUM COLLECTION

This scale-model of a Citroën DS was part of the French pavilion

An occasional table printed with an Expo map

‘Seteney’s’ in three different colors.

Those walking-sticks with seat are real collector items

EXHIBITION 2002

rediscovers artifacts

from the 1958 World Fair

This exhibition of objects from the 1958 Brussels World Fair covered 800 square metres and three globes of the Atomium (itself five storeys high).

Several hundred items were shown concentrating on three main themes: the 50s; the World Fair of 1958; the Atomium and its construction.

The works on display came from various collections here and abroad. They were chosen for their symbolic and aesthetic value; they took us back to an optimistic era, one in which creativity and a belief in progress plus the discovery of new materials allowed a certain freedom of expression which remains an inspiration to the artists, architects and designers of today.

“An abundance of new materials: Leatherette, aluminium, polyester, mosaic, plastic coverings all set the tone. Under structures of very pure lines, amongst sophisticated lighting effects, the interior designers, lovers of contrast, joyfully mixed these materials in a rainbow of colours.

Often using surprising shapes - artists’ palettes, shells, soft triangles scattered with stars and neutrons - they created a simple but heady cocktail.

After the euphoric feelings at the creation of the ‘atomic style’, the huge contradictions in society became obvious; the relaxed American style, the ingenuity of system D from France, the dull Scandinavian style, the futuristic Latin-American style, the electronic style, the lyrical, abstract style, the movement evident in the sculpted armchair, the chic style, the good-taste style from Milan, the uncompromising German look, and not forgetting our own ‘shooting stick’ seats.

This array of objects, environments, and surprising harmonies, spread out as it was between the Heysel and Laeken, is as intoxicating today as it was in 1958."

Original Expo 58 posters

The exhibition shows very rare Expo-toys

Expo Souvenirs and Relics

Maybe there are made thousands and thousands of 'Expo 58 items' since Belgium decided to organize the world exhibition.

Because a lack of catalogues, nobody can tell the exactly numbers of those today's collector items.

So many things, with a link to Expo 58, were released. Stuff like toy's, ashtrays, plate's, tin boxes, glasses, coins, stamps, vases, pin's, school books, jewellery, lighters, beer mats, matchboxes, tableware and so on got furnished with an Expo logo.

Once, there even was Expo bread and Expo ice-cream. Today, some stores in Belgium still have variatons of those items in stock.

On these pages you can see a few examples from my private collection and pictures from the exhibition “Rediscovers artifacts from the 1958 World Fair" that was running a couple years ago in the Atomium.