Victor Horta Archives - Brussels Express

Horta Inside Out: A treasure trove of Art Nouveau

Admin BE — Fri, 06 Jul 2018 07:03:21 +0000

Congregated iron, stain glassed windows, curves that keep on going; Victor Horta was ahead of his time, even when his time was all about innovation. He used the newly available materials from the industrial age and created styles that became internationally recognised as Art Nouveau – with Horta being one of its most famous names. Now, Horta Inside Out gives you the chance to see why this architect and designer earned his title by venturing into his various designed buildings – many not usually open to the public!

Art Nouveau townhouses

charles lecompte [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

On the first Saturday of each month, you can select from the vast range of townhouses and mansions on offer and go inside to see them for one unfettered hour and see them in their full glory. Departures are possible at 10.30, 11.00, 12.00 or 13.30 and a range of houses are on offer – including the Villa Empain.

Walk, bike or ride around the Nouveau heritage

As with many architectural buildings, the front and the inside are usually two separate entities of the same design. So should you wish to get a full facade of either Art Nouveau or just Victor Horta, you can take various tours around Brussels that will see you pass many of the most beautiful and famous buildings of the style. And the mode of transport is yours for the choosing: you can walk, bike, or ride a coach. The different transports offer different roots and incursion with the heritage, so maybe a combination is best for a full in out.

Performances, music and dance – in Horta House?

That’s right, ARTONOV Festival aims to generate a convergence between the performing arts, such as music, dance, fashion and theatre, and the visual arts, thus encouraging an interdisciplinary approach. Artists will reflect on the way art and performance can interact with architectural space. For the fourth edition of the ARTONOV Festival the program will focus on the theme « Architecture of the ritual » in places such as the Horta-Lambeaux Pavilion of Human Passions, Wolfers Store of the Cinquantenaire Museum, the Autrique House and the Horta Museum. Indeed, Victor Horta was a freemason and the symbols and rituals were an important source of inspiration for his work.

Discover Horta and his works

By Bd-blogeur [CC BY-SA 3.0 ], from Wikimedia Commons

Various buildings which Horta designed will be featuring special exhibitions about the designer and his works. You can relive his designs and ideas not just by reading texts or looking at models, but browsing the nuances of each of these buildings he made – many of which will have guided tours.

These activities are just a small host of the handful of events on offer, and those wishing to know not only the movement better but Brussels, would be advised to check out some of the places that make up the fabric of the city.

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Portrait of Avenue Louise

Kristian McCann — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 08:26:47 +0000

Covering 2.7km, Avenue Louise is one of the most extensive streets in Brussels. One that starts at the peripheries of the city proper and wades through to the very heart of the centre. A journey through this avenue is as if one journeys through the history of Brussels itself, passing buildings that characterise the history and progression of the city.

The avenue’s name was chosen in honour of King Leopold II’s eldest daughter, Princess Louise, and was to be the first Haussmann-esque (grand designer of Paris) artery of the city.

At the farthest south-eastern corner of the Avenue, lies La Cambre Abbey, a 12-century abbey with lush gardens that sits abreast the etangs d’ixelles pond. The abbey was suppressed during the French revolution (As Belgium was French territory at the time) but reconstructed in when things had simmered down, and the buildings you see now are the reconstruction efforts from the late 18th century.

As you venture further into the city, you will pass Hôtel Solvay. An unsuspecting hotel to the untrained eye, this hotel was the creation of Victor Horta, Belgian architect who is cited as one of the most influential figures of Art Nouveau, worldwide. Completed in 1900 at the request of wealthy industrialist, Ernest Solvay, Horta was essentially given free reign to redesign the entire house to his liking. This resulted in a deeply inspired house in which every detail, from the stairwells in their joining of the curved lines of decoration with the structure of the building, the open plan with broad widows which diffuse light, the iron crafted railings, and even the intricate door handle, were designed by Horta. Now, being a world-renowned name, Hôtel Solvay is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Just 200 meters further down the road, the sharp contrast between the medieval abbey and the avant-garde of the past is then further thrust into the future with the beckoning Generali Tower, one of the tallest office buildings in Brussels. Its towers above all other buildings in its vicinity, dwarfing them in its colossal magnitude, and is consequently, one of the only buildings in Louise that can be seen when looking at Brussels skyline.

Then comes Stéphanie Square. What many would characterise Avenue Louise now, as a place for designer clothes, boutiques, spas, banks, coffee shops, electronics, this section is littered with shops on every corner and sees a lot of the retail traffic in Brussels. This goes on, all the way until the end of the avenue, when the road is broken in three, splitting off into the other areas of Brussels

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Horta inside out: A year dedicated to this architectural genius

Admin BE — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 04:03:11 +0000

One of the greatest architects of his generation, Victor Horta, certainly left his mark on Brussels. From the Horta House to the Hôtel Tassel and the Horta-Lambeaux Pavilion, it was about time for Brussels to paid tribute to this master of Art Nouveau by dedicating a whole year to his work and creative genius.

Victor Horta moved to Brussels in 1881 and went to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. His teacher, Alphonse Balat (the architect behind the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken), saw his potential and took him on as an assistant. Very quickly, he became fascinated by curves, light and steel. He soon joined the inner circle of the Masonic lodge that would launch his career.

The Autrique House was built in 1893, followed closely by the wonderful Hôtel Tassel. This period was the start of a long series of showpieces which dotted Brussels with buildings with innovative spaces and bright skylights.

Horta, one of the earliest instigators, heralded the modern movement of Art Nouveau architecture. The stylistic revolution represented by these works is characterised by their open plan, diffusion and transformation of light throughout the construction, the creation of a decor that brilliantly illustrates the curved lines of decoration embracing the structure of the building, the use of new materials (steel and glass), and the introduction of modern technical utilities. Through the rational use of the metallic structures, often visible or subtly dissimulated, Victor Horta conceived flexible, light and airy living areas, directly adapted to the personality of their inhabitants.

Rich in this architectural heritage, Brussels owed it to Horta to honour his genius for a whole year. About twenty Brussels cultural institutions have got involved for you to discover or rediscover Victor Horta from every angle.

Throughout 2018, the City will host a series of activities revolving around the architect: exhibitions, guided tours, educational activities, entertainment. A great way to commemorate the work of this extraordinary architect.

Full program here

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