ART NOUVEAU IN BRUSSELS<strong>Brussels</strong> liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Nouveau</strong>The first <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Nouveau</strong> house was built<strong>in</strong> <strong>Brussels</strong> <strong>in</strong> 1893.Today, <strong>Brussels</strong> still has more than500 <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Nouveau</strong> build<strong>in</strong>gs.Build<strong>in</strong>gs that are always places to live <strong>in</strong>:dwell<strong>in</strong>gs, museums, shops, restaurants,cafés….Yes, we can still go on liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Nouveau</strong><strong>in</strong> <strong>Brussels</strong>!Contents<strong>Art</strong> <strong>Nouveau</strong> (Modern Style) <strong>in</strong> <strong>Brussels</strong>by Françoise Aubry p. 5New: from the Autrique Houseto the Imag<strong>in</strong>ary House p. 6Exhibitions <strong>in</strong> 2005and temporary activities p. 8Permanent heritage p. 14Guided tours p. 28<strong>Art</strong> <strong>Nouveau</strong> restaurantsand brasseries p. 32Map of <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Nouveau</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Brussels</strong> p. 34Rue St. Boniface, Blerot. Photo Bast<strong>in</strong>&Evrard © M<strong>in</strong>.Rég.Bxl-Cap23
ART NOUVEAU IN BRUSSELSby Françoise Aubry, Curator of the Horta MuseumRue Defacqz, Hankar House, P. Hankar. Photo Bast<strong>in</strong>&Evrard © M<strong>in</strong>.Rég.Bxl-CapAt the turn of the 19 th , <strong>Brussels</strong> went through a period of unrivalledeffervescence. The city was beautified under the impetusof K<strong>in</strong>g Leopold II, new districts were divided <strong>in</strong>to plotsand turned <strong>in</strong>to neighbourhoods <strong>in</strong> formerly suburban municipalitiessuch as Ixelles, Schaerbeek or Sa<strong>in</strong>t-Gilles, the boundariesof which tend to merge with those of the City of<strong>Brussels</strong> proper.Naturally, the middle classes, merchants and artists opted tohave their houses built <strong>in</strong> the style <strong>in</strong> vogue: <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Nouveau</strong>,also known <strong>in</strong> English as “Modern Style.” This style was launched<strong>in</strong> 1893 by two architects, Victor Horta and Paul Hankar:the Tassel House and Hankar’s own private home were thefirst tokens of a new aesthetic. The use of metal structuresallowed the architects to <strong>in</strong>dulge <strong>in</strong> amaz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>novations, andto open out the facades and <strong>in</strong>teriors to allow light to flood<strong>in</strong>. Three types of motifs tend to predom<strong>in</strong>ate: thearabesque, the floral or animal pattern and the fem<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>e silhouette.At the turn of the century, under the <strong>in</strong>fluence of theViennese Secession, forms tended to become geometric, ascircles were comb<strong>in</strong>ed with squares with greater frequency.Hundreds of houses, but also schools, cafés, and shops rivalledfor orig<strong>in</strong>ality. Craftsmanship <strong>in</strong> ironwork, wood, sta<strong>in</strong>edglass and mosaics atta<strong>in</strong>ed the acme of quality. The build<strong>in</strong>gsof Strauven, Vizzavona, Hamesse, Sneyers, Cauchie and manyothers turned <strong>Brussels</strong> <strong>in</strong>to one of the European capitals of<strong>Art</strong> <strong>Nouveau</strong>, alongside Vienna and Barcelona.The decorative arts would not be outdone: posters, gold andsilver work, jewellery, ceramics and glassmak<strong>in</strong>g would f<strong>in</strong>dtheir rightful place <strong>in</strong> the artistic salons – chiefly those of “LesV<strong>in</strong>gt” (The Twenty) and “La Libre Esthétique” (FreeAesthetic). Under the <strong>in</strong>fluence of the English <strong>Art</strong>s and Craftsmovement, of William Morris and Japan, the decorative arts,often referred to as m<strong>in</strong>or <strong>in</strong> the past, were placed on equalfoot<strong>in</strong>g with the F<strong>in</strong>e <strong>Art</strong>s: the decorative ensembles ofSerrurier-Bovy and Van de Velde, the posters of Cresp<strong>in</strong> andPrivat Livemont, the jewellery of Philippe Wolfers, the ceramicsof F<strong>in</strong>ch and De Rudder would contribute to mak<strong>in</strong>gdaily life more beautiful. <strong>Art</strong>icles <strong>in</strong> the decoration reviews ofthe period proclaimed art <strong>in</strong> all and, if possible, for all.Whereas the blaze of <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Nouveau</strong> would burn bright for adozen years or so before be<strong>in</strong>g followed by <strong>Art</strong> Deco, alsovery richly represented <strong>in</strong> <strong>Brussels</strong>, it still lives on <strong>in</strong> manystreets of the Belgian capital.And you can discover it at leisure as you walk through<strong>Brussels</strong>…45
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