“Great Figures” Themed Campaign - Proscitec

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Lecture on Walter Ravez - February 5, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. - MuFIm

Walter Ravez (1886–1946) is counted among the leading figures who profoundly shaped public and cultural life in Tournai. His life was one of constant dedication, as he served as a magistrate, prolific author, critic, and museum curator, as well as an athlete and member of the Resistance. 

Ravez was also an active proponent of the Walloon Movement in the Tournai region. As early as 1907, he was one of the founders and secretary of the Jeune Garde Wallonne, which later became the Ligue Wallonne du Tournaisis. He is best known as the founding secretary of the Royale Compagnie du Cabaret Wallon Tournaisien in 1908. It was under his leadership that the Monument to Walloon Literature and Song, nicknamed L’Pichou Saint-Piat, was erected in 1931. His most visible legacy remains his commitment to local folklore. In 1930, he founded the Tournai Folklore Museum, known as the “Maison Tournaisienne,” where he served as curator until his death. 

During World War II, due to his fight against collaborators, he was arrested several times by the Gestapo and forced to go into hiding in 1944. He actively participated in the reconstruction of the devastated city beginning in September 1940. Author of seminal works such as *Tournai, Cité Royale* (1934) and *Femmes de Lettres Belges* (1939)—the first book to highlight the work of Belgian women writers—his major work, *Le Folklore de Tournai et du Tournaisis*, was published posthumously in 1949.

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Lecture on Stella Laurent - February 12, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. - Ambulatory

Although Stella Laurent (1915–2004) is known and recognized in Tournai as a sculptor, she began her artistic journey with drawing and painting. She attended both evening and daytime classes at the Tournai Academy of Fine Arts: drawing with Léonce Pion and decorative painting with Jules Pollet. Later, Maurice De Korte introduced her to sculpture and modeling. She would succeed him as a professor at the Academy.

Stella Laurent created heads and busts, female nude figures, and symbolist or religious compositions in a figurative style. She favors modeling and terracotta or reconstituted stone, but also works with white stone and blue stone.

The artist develops a personal approach to the female body by placing it in specific situations: a woman standing with one leg bent, combing her hair; a woman sitting on a rock, wiping her legs… The muscles are taut, the flesh vibrates, the blood flows. The sculpture invites the viewer to develop a dynamic relationship through the sense that they are facing a frozen frame, in which they must imagine the before and after of this suspended moment.

Through the abundance of her works permanently embedded in the Tournai landscape, Stella Laurent is a significant contributor to Tournai’s identity. The creation of the giants’ heads adds a significant popular and community-oriented dimension to the richness of her artistic work.

The tour starts at Sainte Marguerite Church and ends at MuFIm.

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Lecture on Hélène Dutrieu - February 19, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. - MuFIm

A native of Tournai, Hélène Dutrieu (1877–1961) was a daring athlete: a cycling champion, she performed in acrobatic shows before becoming one of the pioneers of aviation.
She loved cycling and needed to earn a living. Those were two good reasons to take up competitive cycling.

At the age of 14, Hélène Dutrieu began competing in races and quickly became a professional cyclist. In 1897, she set the speed record in Ostend, where she earned the nickname “the human arrow.” The following year, she won the Grand Prix d’Europe and the Twelve Days of London.
Hélène Dutrieu had such perfect control over her handlebars that she could perform impressive stunts.

Enduring and possessing a flair for showmanship, she decided to perform on stage. So there she was, performing loops on a bicycle, then on a motorcycle, and even in a car! She gave performances in several countries, notably in France, where her daring was highly appreciated.

A thrill-seeker, Hélène Dutrieu was drawn to aviation, which was just beginning to take off. At the start of the 20th century, few men knew how to fly the early airplanes, and even fewer women!

But Hélène Dutrieu was fearless. She learned to fly, and in 1910, she became the first Belgian woman to earn her pilot’s license. Better yet, she would go on to break several speed and endurance records, outperforming her male competitors. In 1911, in Florence, “the King’s Race” would crown her a queen!