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66-701: In 1933 the famous Flemish architect Henry van de Velde (1863–1957) was commissioned to design a building for the Library and the Institutes of Art History, Veterinarian Studies and Pharmaceutical sciences of the Ghent University (Universiteit Gent) on the premises of the former De Vreese Alley on the Blandijnberg. Situated on the highest ground in the city, the site offered the architect a unique opportunity to give to Ghent its fourth tower, not for

132-736: A "Parade of Towers". The famous three towers of the Middle Ages : the Saint-Nicolas Church , the Belfry and the Saint Bavo Cathedral and the modernist Booktower. Constructed in concrete – an innovation in those days – using the then equally innovative technique of sliding shuttering, the tower was given the shape of a Greek cross to symbolize the connection between time and space, and merging heaven and earth. Twenty storeys above and four below ground level accommodate

198-806: A foreign national, was obliged to leave Weimar (although on good terms with the Weimar government) and returned to his native Belgium. Later, he lived in Switzerland and in the Netherlands where he designed the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo . In 1925 he was appointed professor at the Ghent University Institute of Art History and Archaeology, where he lectured architecture and applied arts from 1926 to 1936. He

264-495: A great sensation of space. A central court went up the height of the building, bringing light from the skylight above. On the main floor, the oval-shaped salons were open to the courtyard, and also received light from large bay windows. It was possible to look from one side of the building to other from any of the salons on the main floor. The Horta House and Studio, now the Horta Museum , was Horta's residence and office, and

330-458: A highly original use of steel frames and skylights to bring light into the structures, open floor plans, and finely-designed decorative details. His later major works included the Maison du Peuple/Volkshuis (1895–1899), Brussels' Centre for Fine Arts (1923–1929) and Brussels-Central railway station (1913–1952). In 1932, King Albert I conferred on Horta the title of Baron for his services to

396-407: A line-up of some 46 kilometres of printed material, or over 3 million items. Supporting the vertical lines of the tower and the books on the shelves are the horizontal lines of the open books on the long tables of the magnificent reading-room, the rectangular courtyard that bathes in daylight, and the reading-room for manuscripts, safely shielded from daylight at the north side of the edifice. The tower

462-488: A new plan of reinforced concrete with a steel frame. He had intended the concrete to be left exposed in the interior, but the final appearance did not meet his expectations, and he had it covered. The concert hall itself is in an unusual ovoid, or egg shape, and is accompanied by art galleries, meeting rooms, and other functional rooms. The building is placed on a complex hillside site, and occupies eight levels, much of it underground. It also had to be designed to avoid blocking

528-932: A result, he received commissions for interior designs in Berlin. Around the turn of the century, he designed Villa Leuring in the Netherlands, and Villa Esche in Chemnitz , two works that show his Art Nouveau style in architecture. He also designed the interior of the Folkwang Museum in Hagen (today the building houses the Karl Ernst Osthaus-Museum ) and the Nietzsche Archive in Weimar. In 1899, he settled in Weimar , Germany, where he

594-685: Is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium. He worked in Paris with Siegfried Bing , the founder of the first gallery of Art Nouveau in Paris. Van de Velde spent the most important part of his career in Germany and became a major figure in the German Jugendstil . He had a decisive influence on German architecture and design at the beginning of the 20th century. Van de Velde

660-400: Is the work of a team around the architects Robbrecht and Daem. Restoration started in 2012. The library services with its study landscape and reading room returned to use in summer 2021. The east wing with office spaces was completed in early 2024 and works on the west wing were started in the same year. The restoration began with the private person Andre Singer who initiated a campaign to make

726-569: The Avenue Louise/Louizalaan in Brussels, was constructed for Armand Solvay, the son of the chemist and industrialist Ernest Solvay . Horta had a virtually unlimited budget, and used the most exotic materials in unusual combinations, such as marble, bronze and rare tropical woods in the stairway decoration. The stairway walls were decorated by the pointillist painter Théo van Rysselberghe . Horta designed every detail including

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792-546: The Maison du Peuple/Volkshuis ("House of the People"), the headquarters for the Belgian Workers' Party (POB/BWP). This was a large structure including offices, meeting rooms, a café and a conference and concert hall seating over 2,000 people. It was a purely functional building, constructed of steel columns with curtain walls. Unlike his houses, there was virtually no decoration. The only recognizable Art Nouveau feature

858-558: The Maison du Peuple/Volkshuis , demolished in 1965, as mentioned above. However, several of Horta's buildings are still standing in Brussels up to this day and some are available to tour. Most notable are the Magasins Waucquez , formerly a department store, now the Belgian Comic Strip Center and four of his private houses ( hôtels ), which were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 under

924-600: The Museum for Fine Arts in Tournai , although it did not open until 1928 due to World War I . The Magasins Waucquez (now the Belgian Comic Strip Center ) was originally a department store specializing in textiles. In its design, Horta used all his skill with steel and glass to create dramatic open spaces and to give them an abundance of light from above. The steel and glass skylight is combined with decorative touches, such as neoclassical columns. After Waucquez's death in 1920,

990-494: The Paris Universal Exposition of 1900 and showed his own work. Van de Velde was strongly influenced by John Ruskin and William Morris's English Arts and Crafts movement and he was one of the first architects or furniture designers to apply curved lines in an abstract style, rather than based on nature. Van de Velde's design work became known in Germany through periodicals such as Innen-Dekoration . As

1056-561: The Rue Américaine / Amerikaansestraat , and also became a full member of the Belgian Royal Academy. The post-war austerity meant that Art Nouveau was no longer affordable or fashionable. From this point on, Horta, who had gradually been simplifying his style over the previous decade, no longer used organic forms, and instead based his designs on the geometrical. He continued to use rational floor plans, and to apply

1122-597: The Booktower figured in the Google logo to celebrate the 150th birthday of Henry van de Velde. On November 12, 2018, a bronze dog was placed on top of the Book Tower. The animal looks east, towards the rising sun. The full-size, upright sitting dog is clearly visible from St. Peter's Square. It is an idea by Michiel Hendryckx that should stimulate both curiosity and amazement. The animalier Greta Van Puyenbroeck created

1188-800: The Brussels Cinquantenaire Museum ("Jubilee Park Museum") in 2005, Henry van de Velde's tea set, two china plates and a silver dish were badly damaged in an unfortunate accident. The silver candle stand remained unharmed. The pieces had been given on temporary loan by Krefeld's Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, the Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Cologne and a private collector. Leidenschaft, Funktion und Schönheit: Henry van de Velde und sein Beitrag zur europäischen Moderne , Neues Museum Weimar, 24 March – 23 June 2013 Henry Van De Velde played

1254-545: The Flemish Television Centre VRT has nominated the belvedère of the book tower for their program "Monumentenstrijd". This "Battle between Monuments" was based on the popular BBC show Restoration , which had many viewers in Belgium (a belvedère – an observation post on the roof with an immense panorama – functions as a popular feature in large-scale public buildings.) On the 3rd of April 2013

1320-566: The French architect Hector Guimard , who used it in the first Art Nouveau apartment building he designed in Paris and in the entrances he designed for the Paris Metro . He is also considered a precursor of modern architecture for his open floor plans and his innovative use of iron , steel and glass. Horta's later work moved away from Art Nouveau, and became more geometric and formal, with classical touches, such as columns . He made

1386-780: The Royal Academy, he was awarded the Grand Prize in architecture. In the years that followed, Horta joined the Central Society of Belgian Architecture, designed and completed three houses in a traditional style, and took part in several competitions. In 1892, he was named head of the Department of Graphic Design for Architecture at the Free University of Brussels , and promoted to professor in 1893. At this time, through lectures and exhibitions organised by

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1452-585: The School merged with the Weimar Art Academy to form the famous modernist art school, Bauhaus . Although a Belgian, van de Velde played an important role in the German Jugendstil . In 1907, he co-founded the German Werkbund , an association to help improve and promote German design by establishing close relations between industry and designers. He would oppose Hermann Muthesius at

1518-491: The Werkbund meeting of 1914 and their debate would mark the history of Modern Architecture. Van de Velde called for the upholding of the individuality of artists while Hermann Muthesius called for standardization as a key to development. Van de Velde was a proponent of incorporating logic into all facets of design, taking inspiration from engineers application of reason and calculation. During World War I, Van de Velde, as

1584-549: The artists' group Les XX , Horta became familiar with the British Arts and Crafts Movement , the developments in book design, and especially textiles and wallpaper, which influenced his later work. In 1893, Horta built a town house , the Autrique House for his friend Eugène Autrique. The interior had a traditional floor plan, due to a limited budget, but the facade previewed some of the elements he developed into

1650-474: The arts of decoration and interior design (silver and goldsmith's trade, chinaware and cutlery, fashion design, carpet and fabric design). His meeting with Maria Sèthe, his future wife, was instrumental in this change. They collaborated on a number of projects together, including designing wallpapers and female clothing. Their first house, Bloemenwerf in Uccle , was van de Velde's first attempt at architecture and

1716-475: The bronze doorbell and the house number, to match the overall style. The Hôtel van Eetvelde is considered one of Horta's most accomplished and innovative buildings, because of highly original Winter Garden interior and the imaginative details throughout. The open floor plan of the Hôtel Van Eetvelde was particularly original, and offered an abundance of light, both horizontally and vertically, and

1782-404: The building began to languish away, and in 1970, the firm closed its doors. Jean Delhaye, a former aid of Horta, saved the building from demolition, and by 16 October 1975, because of its connection to Horta, it was declared a protected historical site. Now a museum of a particular Belgian speciality, the comic strip , it also has a room devoted to Horta. In 1906, Horta accepted the commission for

1848-465: The building but also the furniture to match his particular style. His furniture became as well known as his houses; a displays of his furniture were shown at the 1900 Universal Exposition in Paris, and the 1902 Turin Exposition of Modern Decorative Arts . It was typically hand-made, and the furniture for each house was different. In many cases the furniture lasted longer than the house. Its drawback

1914-419: The collection (air conditioning, replacement of obsolete by modern and more efficient provisions) are concerned. The tower will, therefore, not only be restored, but also thoroughly updated. A three floor underground repository is built under the inner garden; it will be completed in 2014 so the books can move from the tower to the underground and the concrete skin of the tower can be replaced. The entire operation

1980-549: The construction of the Brussels Metro system. Beginning in about 1900, Horta's buildings gradually became more simplified in form, but always made with great attention to functionality and to craftsmanship . Beginning in 1903, he constructed the Grand Bazar Anspach, a large department store , with his characteristic use of large windows, open floors, and wrought iron decoration. In 1907, Horta designed

2046-526: The end of 1915, he traveled to the United States, where he gave a series of lectures at American universities, including Cornell , Harvard , MIT , Smith College , Wellesley College and Yale . In 1917, he was named Charles Eliot Norton Memorial Lecturer and Professor of Architecture at George Washington University . On Horta's return to Brussels in January 1919, he sold his home and workshop on

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2112-552: The end only the facade and the furnishings were saved by the City of Brussels . The facade was disassembled and put into storage, and many proposals were made for its reconstruction, but none were carried out. Some of the furnishings are now on display at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. While Horta was building luxurious town houses for the wealthy, he also applied his ideas to more functional buildings. From 1896 to 1899, he designed and built

2178-713: The field of architecture. After Art Nouveau lost favor, many of Horta's buildings were abandoned, or even destroyed, though his work has since been rehabilitated. Four of the buildings he designed in Brussels were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000: the Hôtel Tassel, the Hôtel Solvay , the Hôtel van Eetvelde and the Horta House (currently the Horta Museum ). Victor Horta

2244-585: The full Art Nouveau style, including iron columns and ceramic floral designs. In 1894, Horta was elected President of the Central Society of Belgian Architecture, although he resigned the following year following a dispute caused when he was awarded the commission for a kindergarten on the Rue Saint-Ghislain / Sint-Gissleinsstraat in the Marolles/Marollen district of Brussels, without a public competition. Throughout his life, Horta

2310-469: The latest developments in building technology and building services engineering . The Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, a multi-purpose cultural centre designed in a more geometric style similar to Art Deco . Horta developed the plans for the Centre for Fine Arts beginning in 1919, with construction starting in 1923. It was completed in 1929. It was originally intended to be built of stone, but Horta made

2376-419: The narrow building sites in Brussels. He achieved this by use of large windows, skylights, mirrors, and especially by his open floor plans, which brought in light from all sides and from above. The Hôtel Aubecq in Brussels was one of his late houses, made for the industrialist Octave Aubecq. As with his other houses, it featured a skylight over the central staircase, filling the house with light. Its peculiarity

2442-566: The new Brugmann University Hospital (now the Victor Horta Site of the Brugmann University Hospital). Developed to take into account the views of the clinicians and hospital managers, Horta's design separated the functions of the hospital into a number of low-rise pavilions spread over the 18 hectares (44 acres) park based campus, and work began in 1911. Although used during World War I , the official opening

2508-467: The ringing of bells this time, but for books. With its height of 64 metres (210 ft), the book tower reaches out to the sky above Ghent alongside its (late) mediaeval predecessors to mark the city skyline and to put the university visibly on the map. Together with the 3 towers, the so-called "Tower of Wisdom" helped Ghent realising the dream the town had since it hosted the World's Fair in 1913 of creating

2574-606: The role in elaborating an aesthetic theory a synthesis of the two opposite poles of rational conception associated with particular understanding of the ornamental function. The Manuscript on Ornament sheds further light on this aesthetic theory, and the role played therein by the notion of ornament. It constitutes an important document in the sequence of his intention of publishing a ‘historical—theoretical’ treatise on design. Victor Horta Victor Pierre Horta ( French pronunciation: [viktɔʁ ɔʁta] ; Victor, Baron Horta after 1932; 6 January 1861 – 8 September 1947)

2640-550: The route of the new railway between Brussels' main stations, and then because of World War I. Construction finally began in 1937 as part of the plans to boost the economy during the Great Depression , before being delayed again by the outbreak of World War II. Horta was still working on the station when he died in 1947. The station was finally completed, to his plans, by his colleagues led by Maxime Brunfaut . It opened on 4 October 1952. Horta typically designed not only

2706-427: The same time). In 2000, it was designated, along with three other town houses designed soon afterwards, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . In designating these sites, UNESCO explained: "The stylistic revolution represented by these works is characterised by their open plan, the diffusion of light, and the brilliant joining of the curved lines of decoration with the structure of the building." The Hôtel Solvay , on

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2772-566: The same year, he became director of the Fine Arts section of the Belgian Royal Academy of Fine Arts. In 1937, he completed the design of his final work, Brussels-Central railway station . In 1939, he began editing his memoirs. He died on 8 September 1947 and was interred in Ixelles Cemetery in Brussels. Art Nouveau fell out of fashion in the 20th century and many of Horta's buildings were abandoned, or even destroyed, most notably

2838-453: The unique image for which a smooth-haired fox terrier served as a model. 51°02′41″N 3°43′33″E  /  51.04472°N 3.72583°E  / 51.04472; 3.72583 Henry van de Velde Henry Clemens van de Velde ( Dutch: [ɑ̃ːˈri vɑn də ˈvɛldə] ; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar , he

2904-493: The university aware of the great architectural value of the building, and of the need of restoration. The then rector Andre De Leenheer, took on the difficult job of finding University money and other funding for the full restoration. During World War II the tower was taken over by the German Army because of its views of the surrounding area. The Booktower houses about 46 kilometers of books and other material. In 2007

2970-596: The view from the Royal Palace , on the hill just above it. In 1927, Horta became the Director of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, a post he held for four years until 1931. In recognition of his work, Horta was awarded the title of Baron by King Albert I in 1932. In 1910, Horta began working on drawings on his most ambitious and longest running project: Brussels-Central railway station . He

3036-550: The yearly exhibition of Les XX van de Velde became one of the first artists to be influenced by the Dutch painter. During this period he developed a lasting friendship with the painter Théo van Rysselberghe and the sculptor Constantin Meunier . In 1890, van de Velde wrote that "there will be no place in the society of the future for anything which is not of use to everyone." In 1892, he abandoned painting, devoting his time to

3102-523: Was a Belgian architect and designer, and one of the founders of the Art Nouveau movement. He was a fervent admirer of the French architectural theorist Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and his Hôtel Tassel in Brussels (1892–93), often considered the first Art Nouveau house, is based on the work of Viollet-le-Duc. The curving stylized vegetal forms that Horta used in turn influenced many others, including

3168-427: Was a slight curving of the steel pillars supporting the roof. As with his houses, the building was designed to make a maximum use of light, with large skylights over the main meeting room. It was demolished in 1965, despite an international petition of protest by over 700 architects. The materials of the building were saved for possible reconstruction, but were eventually scattered around Brussels. Some parts were used for

3234-630: Was also involved in the construction of the Ghent University Hospital . He died, aged 94, in Zürich . 12 October 2005, a teapot designed by van de Velde made €170,000 at a public auction at the Brussels Beaux-Arts auction house – eleven times the opening bid. It is a teapot on a chafing dish, with a wooden handle, resting on an oval basis and made of silver-plated brass. During an Art Nouveau and Design exhibition at

3300-591: Was born in Antwerp , where he studied painting under Charles Verlat at the famous Royal Academy of Fine Arts , Antwerp. He then went on to a year's study with the painter Carolus-Duran in Paris. As a young painter he was strongly influenced by Paul Signac and Georges Seurat and soon adopted a neo-impressionist style, and pointillism . In 1889 he became a member of the Brussels-based artist group " Les XX ". After Vincent van Gogh exhibited some work on

3366-644: Was born in Ghent , Belgium, on 6 January 1861. His father was a master shoemaker, who, as Horta recalled, considered craftsmanship a high form of art. The young Horta began by studying music at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent . He was expelled for misbehavior and went instead to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. At the Ghent Conservatory, an aula is named after him today. When he

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3432-434: Was built around an open central stairway. The interior decoration featured curling lines, modeled after vines and flowers, which were repeated in the ironwork railings of the stairway, in the tiles of the floor, in the glass of the doors and skylights, and painted on the walls. The building is widely recognized as one of the first appearances of Art Nouveau in architecture (along with the Hankar House by Paul Hankar , built at

3498-404: Was certainly more modest than the other houses, but it had its own original features and equally fine craftsmanship and mastery of details. He made unusual combinations of materials, such as wood, iron and marble in the staircase decoration. The novel element in Horta's houses and then his larger buildings was his search for maximum transparency and light, something often difficult to achieve with

3564-423: Was commissioned to design a home for the scientist and professor Émile Tassel. The Hôtel Tassel was completed in 1893. The stone facade, designed to harmonize with the neighboring buildings, was fairly traditional, but the interior was strikingly new. Horta used the technologies of glass and iron, which he had practiced on the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken , to create an interior filled with light and space. The house

3630-424: Was commissioned to design the new building for the university library (the renowned Boekentoren ). Construction started in 1936, but the work would not be completed until the end of the Second World War . For budget reasons, the eventual construction did not entirely match the original design. For instance, the reading room floor was executed in marble instead of the black rubber Van de Velde originally intended. He

3696-452: Was delayed until 1923. Its unusual design and layout attracted great interest from the European medical community, and his buildings continue in use to this day. In February 1915, as World War I was underway and Belgium was occupied , Horta moved to London and attended the Town Planning Conference on the Reconstruction of Belgium, organised by the International Garden Cities and Town Planning Association. Unable to return to Belgium, at

3762-409: Was employed as artistic advisor to William Ernest, Grand Duke Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach . In 1907, he established the Grand-Ducal School of Arts and Crafts, under the patronage of the Grand Duke. Van de Velde designed the school's building and was the school's first director. He stepped down during World War I due to his Belgian citizenship and suggested that architect Walter Gropius succeed him. In 1919,

3828-431: Was formally commissioned as the architect in 1913, but work did not actually begin until after World War II , in 1952. It was originally planned that the station would just part of a much larger redevelopment project, which Horta had conceived in the 1920s, but this was never realized. The start of construction was seriously delayed due to the lengthy process of purchasing and demolishing over one thousand buildings along

3894-448: Was greatly influenced by the French architectural theorist Eugène Viollet-le-Duc , whose ideas he completely identified with. In 1925, he wrote: Since 1840, the theories of Viollet-le-Duc are a sharp, precise and constructive analysis of each element in architecture, bringing the whole of architecture to its absolute origin – a construction out of which any form of art can emerge. The major breakthrough for Horta came in 1892, when he

3960-432: Was inaugurated in 1942 and recognized as a monument in 1992. Almost 70 years after its completion, a thorough restoration started, including the famous Belvedère and the gorgeous interiors. The occasion, however, is also used to make the tower more accessible to the general public. On the other hand, the building will be made to meet the demands of modern library management, especially as far as protection and management of

4026-408: Was inspired by the British Arts and Crafts Movement . Its exterior closely resembled the Red House of William Morris . Maria Sèthe designed the garden surrounding the house. Henry van de Velde also designed interiors and furniture for the influential art gallery "L'Art Nouveau" of Samuel Bing in Paris in 1895, the shop from which Art Nouveau took its name. He participated in Bing's pavilion at

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4092-448: Was instrumental in founding in Brussels, in 1926, today's renowned architecture and visual arts school La Cambre , under the name of " Institut supérieur des Arts décoratifs ." He continued his practice in architecture and design, which had demarcated itself significantly from the Art Nouveau phase, whose popularity was by 1910 in decline. During this period, he mentored the great Belgian architect, Victor Bourgeois . In 1933, he

4158-459: Was seventeen, he moved to Paris and found work with the architect and designer Jules Debuysson . Horta's father died in 1880, and Horta returned to Belgium. He moved to Brussels and married his first wife, with whom he later fathered two daughters. He began to study architecture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. He became friends with Paul Hankar , another early pioneer of Art Nouveau architecture. Horta did well in his studies and

4224-408: Was taken on as an assistant by his professor Alphonse Balat , the architect to King Leopold II . Horta worked with Balat on the construction of the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken in northern Brussels, Horta's first work to utilise glass and iron. In 1884, Horta won the first Prix Godecharle to be awarded for architecture for a proposed new building for the Belgian Parliament . On his graduation from

4290-428: Was that, since it matched the house, it could not be changed to any other style, without disrupting the harmony of the room. Horta and his first wife divorced in 1906. He married his second wife, Julia Carlsson, in 1908. In 1925, he was an architect of honor for the Belgian Pavilion at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, the exposition which gave its name to Art Deco . In

4356-413: Was the octagonal shape of the rooms, and the three facades with windows, designed to give maximum light. The owner originally wished to keep his original family furniture, but because of the odd shape of the rooms, Horta was commissioned to create new furniture. By 1948, Art Nouveau was out of style, the house was sold to a new owner, who wished to demolish it. A movement began to preserve the house, but in

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