Victor Horta and Brussels

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THE CRADLE OF ART NOUVEAU VICTOR HORTA AND BRUSSELS An exhibition of the Brussels-Capital Region celebrates the finest achievements of the architect Victor Horta on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The exhibition takes visitors behind the scenes of the creative pro- cess of one of the greatest artists of Art Nouveau, a movement that revolutionized European concepts of space and architecture at the dawn of the twentieth century. Hotel Tassel, Hotel Solvay, Hotel Van Eetvelde and the architect’s private house rub shoulders with the decayed grandeur of the Hotel Aubecq, demolished in the course of the 1950s, though part of its facades were reassembled, like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Many photographs, both period and contemporary, documents and drawings on show in this exhibition highlight this extraordinary heritage of the Capital of Europe. PRACTICAL INFORMATION: Terms and conditions of loan: This exhibition is on loan for the organizations who wish to display it. Only the cost of the return transport, the cost of assembly and disassembly and an insurance covering the entire loan will be at their expenses. Scientific committee: Isabelle de Pange, art historian and Marie Resseler, art historian Creation : Direction des Monuments et des Sites – Brussels Capital Region / 2012 Material of the exhibition: 27 double sided panels in a wooden frame and support elements. 1 DVD slide show ‘hôtel Aubecq’ and 1 DVD ‘Art Nouveau in Brussels’ Weight per panel: 7,4 kg (support included) Dimensions of the panels: 1,2 x 0,8m (with support: 2 x 0,8m) am, Brussels - Belgium Packaging of the exhibition: 4 flight-cases. Dimensions: twice 102x58x130cm and twice 118x58x154cm Languages: French, Dutch, English and German Value of the insurance: 31 000 euro Graphic design of the exhibition: Kaligram (Belgium) For any questions, please contact: Anne-Sophie Walazyc : [email protected] Direction of Monuments and Sites : http://www.monument.irisnet.be BRPS, BUD Photography by Christine Bastin & Jacques Evrard © Ministry of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium – Arch. Victor Horta Sof.

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2017-12-12 Dossier De Presse Horta EN
Horta inside out: A year dedicated to this architectural genius 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 we 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.
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If You Decide to Join Us, Send Your Reservation Form and Deposit Right Away
Wallonia, Brussels, and Champagne April 27 to May 12, 2017 We encourage you to look over the description below; if you decide to join us, send your reservation form and deposit right away. Interest in this tour is exceptionally strong, with 75% of the space tentatively reserved, even before the announcement of specific dates and prices. The overall size of the group will not exceed 25 participants, with certain elements limited to only 20. Wallonia, the French-speaking southern half of Belgium, is a land of charming old cities, picturesque castles, peaceful abbeys, gently rolling hills, breathtaking river valleys, and lush forests. Join us in May 2017 to discover the artistic, historical, cultural, and culinary heritage of Wallonia, plus Belgium's capital, Brussels. We will also visit the Champagne region of Northern France including the city of Reims before ending up in Paris; you can either spend a few days on your own there or return directly to the States. Musically speaking, the main attraction is four days at the International Chamber Music Festival Resonances, which takes places in the peaceful environment of Halloy Castle and involves a whole roster of major international musicians. Following one of our three concerts, we will enjoy dinner with the artists. From our base in another chateau, our spare time will be dedicated to visiting the charming chateaux, villages, and gardens nearby. Opera and concert seasons for 2017 have yet to be announced, but we hope to attend a performance at the Royal Opera House of Wallonia or the Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège, and at the famed opera house, La Monnaie in Brussels.
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Conserving Victor Horta's Work in Brussel
Table of Contents List of Illustrations 2 Introduction 4 Chapter 1: Attitudes to Conservation in Brussels 6 1.1 - History of Conservation in Belgium 6 1.2 - Belgian Conservation Legislation 8 1.3 - ‘Brusselisation’ 9 Chapter 2: The Sociocultural Value of Art Nouveau 10 2.1 - Historical Value 10 2.2 - Cultural and Symbolic Value 12 2.3 - Aesthetic Value 14 Chapter 3: Economic Value of the Conservation of Art Nouveau 16 3.1 - The Cost of Conservation of a Horta Property 16 3.2 - Economic Value of a Restored House 19 Conclusions 20 Glossary of Terms 22 Appendix 23 Horta’s Most Influential Works 23 An Insight into Horta - Interview with Françoise Aubry 25 Bibliography 27 1 List of Illustrations Figure 1. Hôtel Tassel - Entrance Hall [Photograph] by: Jean and Rene Delhaye. Taken from: Horta the Ultimate Art Nouveau Architect (Aubry, et al., 2005) Figure 2. Hôtel Tassel – Front Façade [Photograph] by: Arco Ardon. Taken from: Flickr.com – Arco Ardon -Brussels (2009) Figure 3. Palais Stoclet [Photograph] by: Jean-Pol Grandmont. Taken from: Hoffmann, Brussels (2005) Figure 4. Brussels Skyline – Haphazard Placement of High Rise Buildings [Photograph] by: Erasmushogeschool. Taken from: Flickr.com – Skyline Brussels (2009) Figure 5a. Maison de Peuple [Photograph] by: Moicani. Taken from: moicani.over-blog.com (2013) Figure 5b. The Sablon Tower [Photograph] by: Knight Frank. Taken from: Knightfrank.co.uk (Unknown) Figure 6. Hôtel Tassel - Capital of an iron 'tree' column [Photograph] by: Jean and Rene Delhaye. Taken from: Horta the Ultimate Art Nouveau Architect (Aubry, et al., 2005) Figure 7. Barcelona Pavilion Structure [Photograph] by: Claudio Divizia.
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Horta Houses (Belgium) No 1005
History and Description Horta Houses (Belgium) History The Hôtel Tassel can be considered the founding work of No 1005 Art Nouveau. Commissioned by Professor Emile Tassel in 1893, it was the first work in which Victor Horta was able to realize his original conception of architecture, with all the characteristic features that he developed in his other town houses. The house was finished in 1894, but Horta continued designing the furniture for some years, as well as making some minor changes requested by the client. When Identification completed, the Hôtel Tassel raised mixed reactions, but it was soon considered a key building in the development of Nomination The major town houses of the architect modern architecture. After World War II the house was Victor Horta split up into small flats so that little of the decoration remained visible. In 1976 the architect Jean Delhaye Location Region of Bruxelles-Capitale bought the house, restored the street facade and the main doors, and adapted the building to function as prestige State Party Belgium offices. Date 23 July 1999 Commissioned by Armand Solvay, the Hôtel Solvay was built from 1895 to 1898, with furniture completed in 1903. The construction of stables was designed by the architects C Bosmans and H Vandeveld, beginning in 1899, though Horta may have been consulted for the design. The Solvay family kept the house until 1957, when M and Mme Justification by State Party Wittamer-De Camps bought it, thus avoiding its demolition. The building became the seat of their fashion The four major town houses of the architect Victor Horta house, bringing some changes.
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Sight Seeing Tour - Brussels Art Nouveau Architecture (4 Hours)
Sight seeing tour - Brussels Art Nouveau Architecture (4 hours) Brussels is the capital city of Belgium and is also the capital city of the Art Nouveau in the world. A lot of buildings have been built around 1900 in the Art Nouveau style. A style that also began in this town with the Tassel House by Horta in 1893. Horta and also Hankar are the major architects but a lot of other artists have done very good jobs that are worth seeing: Blérot, Van de Velde, Hamesse, Taelemans, Vizzavona, Cauchie... In 1900, the Brussels of nowadays was divided in a lot of little surburbs that surrounded the inner city. In the second part of the XIXth century, the city wall was destroyed to make a circling boulevard. The inner city was not much influenced by Art Nouveau because there were not a lot of destruction of older quarters but the surburbs like St Gilles/Sint-Gillis, Ixelles/Elsene, Forest/Vorst and Uccle/Ukkel feature hundreds of Art Nouveau buildings or villas that you still can see nowadays. Horta houses Victor Horta's museum. This is not a museum in the traditional sense: a building where the objects exposed draw all the attention. Here it is the reverse : the building itself is the museum. The Horta Museum was actually the house that Victor Horta built for himself in the late 1890's. It's a true example of the architectural style that made Horta into one of the most acclaimed architects in Belgium. The Art Nouveau style was popular in Europe, and especially in Brussels, between 1893 and 1918.
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Victor Horta: the Maison Tassel, the Sources of Its Development , / in Architecture, Art Nouveau Initiated a Major Is Inevitable
108 GEORGE TSIHLIAS, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO Victor Horta: The Maison Tassel, The Sources of its Development , / In architecture, Art Nouveau initiated a major is inevitable. N~IY all accounts hold some change in structural thinking, despite its mention of the man whose creative efforts relatively brief and uncertain life. It lasted for were to culminate in the first definitive some 20 years, or even less in some Western manifestation of a significant episode in European countries. Once all the rage, it came modem architectural development. Invariably, to be abandoned by its enthusiastic adherents descriptions of the Maison Tassel figure as the wild oats of youth. Its numerous prominently among their contents. The architectural exponents sought to express the product of a more personalized form of same inspiring motivation which characterized expression, the house represents the first time the applied arts. The correspondingly sinuous Horta came into his own as an architect. It linearity; the biomorphic qualities; the semi evoked the spirit of a generation obsessed naturalistic, semi-abstract elements - both with change, novelty and progress. At the structural and decorative; all were present in same time, it designated the beginning of a its varied examples. Moreover, one had the period which would lead to world fame for the floral reference to the total forms of plants. Belgian architect who engendered it. Upon The leaves; the stalks; the roots; the blossoms; completion, the project was heralded as the these formed the epitome of the constant first declaration of a victorious modem organic expression which was the order of the movement; the first truly modernist work.
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Brussels and Bruges June 8 - 15, 2014 Program
travel with morris arboretum Brussels and Bruges June 8 - 15, 2014 Program Pre-Days in Brussels Some may want to spend extra nights before the trip in Brussels. Pre-nights can be arranged at the hotel. Restaurant suggestions and ideas for visits that will not be part of the program can be supplied. Overnight in flight. Sunday June 8 Arrivals Into Brussels Individual arrivals into Brussels Zaventem Airport throughout the day. Transfers arranged on request. Traveling time to the Hotel Amigo from Brussels Airport is approximately 20 minutes, depending on the traffic. Check into the Hotel Amigo. After check-in and some time to unpack and freshen up, we depart the hotel for an orientation walk around The Grand Place. Brussels The “capital of Europe”, Brussels has begun to act like Europe’s Washington, D.C., a focus of economic and political power, where decisions are made that affect the lives of people around the world. As headquarters of the European Union (EU), Brussels both symbolizes the Continent’s vision of unity and is seen as a bastion of officialdom, a breeding ground for the regulations that govern and often exasperate the rest of Europe. The Grand Place is the heart of Brussels, a vibrant, beautiful and functional part of the city. The magnificent square boasts popular sidewalk cafés, intimate cellar restaurants, the country’s finest guild halls and the splendid Hôtel de Ville, a gothic masterpiece. Continue for a special private guided visit of Victor Horta’s masterpiece the Hôtel Solvay (on the Unesco World Heritage List). Hôtel Solvay was built as the home of wealthy industrialist Armand Solvay.
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VICTOR HORTA: the MAISON TASSEL the Sources of Its Development
28 VICTOR HORTA: THE MAISON TASSEL The Sources of its Development George Tsihlias In architecture, Art Nouveau initiated a major change in structural thinking, despi te its relatively brief and uncertain life. It lasted for some 20 years, or even less in some Western European countries. Once all the rage, it came to be abandoned by its enthusiastic adherents as the wild oats of ,youth. Its numerous architectural exponents sought to expre!;rs, . the same inspiring motivation which Gharacterized the appl,i'ed arts. The correspondingly sinuous linearity; the biomorphic qualities; the semi-naturalistic, semi-abstract elements - both structural and decorative; all were present in its varied examples. Moreover, one had the floral reference to the total forms of plants. The leaves; the stalks; the roots; the blossoms; these formed the epitome of the constant organic expression which was the order of the day. The strong desire to break with the past was, perhaps, the most common bond linking the craftsmen, artists, and architects who sought their creative expression in Art Nouveau. This was the case in all countries where the style appeared. To the avant-garde mind, it provided a captivating contrast to the traditional, static, 19th century art forms. Both in its content and form, Art Nouveau was insistent on an art of growth. The subsequent architectural focus seeks to illuminate the work of one of its most significant innovators. * Victor Horta. In almost any comprehensive study of the Fin de Si~cle phenomenon known as Art Nouveau, the appearance of this name is inevitable. Nearly all accounts hold some mention of the man whose creative efforts were to culminate in the first definitive manifestation of a significant episode in modern architectural development.
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Victor Horta's Iron Architecture: a Structural Analysis COLLETTE Quentin , WOUTERS Ine , DE BOUW Michael , LAURIKS Leen and Y
Advanced Materials Research Vols. 133-134 (2010) pp 373-378 © (2010) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.133-134.373 Victor Horta’s Iron Architecture: a Structural Analysis COLLETTE Quentin 1,a, WOUTERS Ine 2,b , DE BOUW Michael 3,c , 4,d 5,e LAURIKS Leen and YOUNES Abdelrahman 1,2,3,4,5 Department of Architectural Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Abstract . The internationally acknowledged Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta built remarkable artifacts of public iron architecture in Brussels. His projects display an innovative philosophy based on apparent iron frameworks used in a very efficient manner. As a supplement to the ample historical and architectural studies on Belgium’s most famous Art Nouveau architect, this paper puts Horta’s innovative structural practice of iron into the picture. To reach this goal, a structural analysis of four of Horta’s most interesting projects is carried out, going into the following topics: conceptual philosophy (structural typology), building techniques (shapes, connection details) and the coherence of the structural logic (structural usefulness). Keywords: Structural analysis, Victor Horta, iron construction, innovative iron practice, structural logic Introduction The Belgian architect Victor Horta (1861-1947) was the greatest personality of the Art Nouveau architectural trend in Europe and was also one of the founders of Modern architecture. This analysis aims to extend the existing knowledge with a study of the structural aspects of Victor Horta’s innovative and exemplary iron practice.
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Art Nouveau, Art of Darkness: African Lineages of Belgian Modernism, Part I Author(S): Debora L
Art Nouveau, Art of Darkness: African Lineages of Belgian Modernism, Part I Author(s): Debora L. Silverman Source: West 86th, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Fall-Winter 2011), pp. 139-181 Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Bard Graduate Center Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/662515 . Accessed: 12/12/2014 08:47 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The University of Chicago Press and Bard Graduate Center are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to West 86th. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 216.165.95.72 on Fri, 12 Dec 2014 08:47:57 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Art Nouveau, Art of Darkness: African Lineages of Belgian Modernism, Part I Debora L. Silverman University of California, Los Angeles This article is the first of a two-part study. Part I identifies Belgian art nouveau as a specifically Congo style and as “imperial modernism,” created from Congo raw materials and inspired by Congo motifs—the lash, the vine, and the elephantine. Focusing closely on works by Victor Horta, Henry van de Velde, and Philippe Wolfers, Part I suggests how stylistic forms of modernism expressed a displaced encounter with a distant but encroaching imperial violence—the return of the repressor in visual form.
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Hôtel Tassel
Hôtel Tassel The Hôtel Tassel is a town house built by Victor Horta in Brussels for the Belgian scientist and professor Emile Tassel in 1893-1894. It is located at 6, Rue Paul-Emile Jansonstraat in Brussels. It is generally considered as the first true 'Art Nouveau' building, because of its highly innovative plan and its ground breaking use of materials and decoration. Together with three other town houses of Victor Horta, including Horta's own house and atelier it was put on the 'UNESCO World Heritage List' in 2000. At the Hôtel Tassel Horta definitively broke with this traditional scheme. In fact he built a house consisting of three different parts. Two rather conventional buildings in brick and natural stone - one on the side of the street and one on the side of the garden - were linked by a steel structure covered with glass. It functions as the connective part in the spatial composition of the house and contains staircases and landings that connect the different rooms and floors. Trough the glass roof it functions as a light shaft that brings natural light into the centre of the building. In this part of the house, that could also be used for receiving guests, Horta made the maximum of his skills as an interior designer. He designed every single detail; doorhandles, woodwork, panels and windows in stained glass, mosaic floorings, stairrailings, electric fittings and even the decorative wallpaintings and the furnishing. Horta succeeded in integrating the lavish decoration without masking the general architectural structures. The innovations made in the Hôtel Tassel would mark the style and approach for most of Horta's later town houses, including the Hôtel van Eetvelde, the Hôtel Solvay and the architects own house and 'atelier'.
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"Horta successfully combines novelty with tried-and-tested methods to realize a work potent with fresh beauty and infused with reason and harmony." VICTOR HORTA'S VISION Art Nouveau, Fusion of Function and Form KATE SWOFFORD C WORKING AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, THE BELGIAN VICTOR HORTA WAS ONE OF ART NOU- VEAU'S PREMIERE ARCHITECTS AND DESIGNERS. THE GOALS OF HIS WORK ARE REALIZED MOST SUCCESSFULLY IN THE TOWNHOUSES HE CREATED. PRACTICALITY AND THE AESTHETICS BLEND SEAMLESSLY TOGETHER, RESULTING IN BUILDINGS SIMULTANEOUSLY REVOLUTIONARY IN THEIR INNOVATION AND CLASSICAL IN THEIR EMPHASIS ON HARMONY AND ORDER. AS CHARACTERISTIC OF ART NOUVEAU, THE FIRST SELF-CONSCIOUSLY MODERN STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE, HORTA STRESSED ORGANIC FORMS IN DESIGN AS WELL AS STRUCTURE. HE COUNTERBALANCED THE IN- HERENTLY STATIC AND RIGID NATURE OF THE EDIFICE WITH NATURAL, CURVING SHAPES TO REN- DER THE HOME MORE APPEALING TO ITS RESIDENTS. FURTHERMORE, HORTA AND HIS CLIENTS SAW THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH ART NOUVEAU AS A REFLECTION OF THEIR ULTRA-LIBERAL, PRO- GRESSIVE POLITICAL VIEWS. IN MANY WAYS, VICTOR HORTA'S WORK REPRESENTS THE PINNACLE OF ART NOUVEAU, NOT SIMPLY IN ITS REJECTION OF ARCHITECTURAL CONVENTIONS AND ITS EMPHA- SIS ON INTEGRATION, BUT ALSO IN ITS RESPECT FOR THE MERIT OF CLASSICAL WORKS. THIS CON- CURRENCE IS AT THE HEART OF VICTOR HORTA'S SUCCESS. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the architec- One can discern the influence of Immanuel Kant's con- ture of Victor Horta revolutionized the established styles of cept of "free beauty" in the nature of art nouveau: Belgium, spreading the style of art nouveau throughout the whole of Europe.
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