Major town houses of the architect Victor Horta (Brussels)

The major town houses of Victor Horta are four town houses in Brussels, Belgium, which have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. All four houses were designed and built by the Belgian architect Victor Horta (1861–1947), who pioneered the Art Nouveau style during the mid-1890s. History Victor Horta was born in Ghent, Belgium, in 1861 and lived for several years in Paris (France) before returning to Belgium to work as an architect in 1880. He achieved rapid success, working on several prestigious buildings and receiving a number of official posts including a position at the Free University of Brussels. From 1892, Horta began working in the new Art Nouveau style. During World War I, Horta went into exile in the United Kingdom and the United States. On returning to Belgium, Horta modified his styles in subsequent buildings, moving away from Art Nouveau towards Art Deco or Modernist styles to take account of changing popular tastes. He died on 8 September 1947 and was interred in Ixelles Cemetery in Brussels. List of buildings (4) Hôtel Tassel The Tassel House was designed by Victor Horta for the scientist and professor Emile Tassel, and built between 1892 and 1893, in Art Nouveau style. It is located at 6, rue Paul-Emile Janson. The building’s façade is a striking example of Art Nouveau. Horta made numerous changes that distinguished it from other buildings of the time. However, all of these innovations were consistent with Art Nouveau, thanks to the choice of materials and their combination. For example, the façade is smooth and flowing. Horta rejected traditional architectural solutions. The columns at the front of the building are made of iron, not stone. A large bay window is housed within the slender iron columns, emphasizing Horta’s desire for openness and lightness. Exposed rivets and massive brackets around the doors and windows create a sense of unity. The organic acanthus against the riveted iron beams and windows symbolizes the harmony of nature and industry. Hôtel Solvay The Solvay House was designed for Armand Solvay, the son of the chemist and industrialist Ernest Solvay, and built between 1895 and 1900. It is located at 224, avenue Louise/Louizalaan, not far from the Hôtel Max Hallet, another Art Nouveau building by Horta. Hôtel van Eetvelde The Hôtel van Eetvelde was designed for Edmond van Eetvelde, administrator of Congo Free State, and built between 1895 and 1898. It is located at 4, avenue Palmerston (near the modern European quarter). Two extensions, also designed by Horta, were added between 1898 and 1901. The visible application of “industrial” materials, such as steel and glass, was a novel for prestigious private dwellings at the time. In the Hôtel van Eetvelde, Victor Horta also used a hanging steel construction for the façade. The interior receives additional lighting through a central reception room covered by a stained glass cupola. The cupola with its coloured stained glass windows is supported by eight steel columns, which “are integrated into this vegetal world like rods”. The dining room door is adorned with opalescent glass whose tint changes according to the intensity and incidence of light. Maison & Atelier Horta The Horta Museum is a museum in Saint-Gilles. Dedicated to the life and work of the architect Victor Horta, the building dates from 1901. This town house served as his workshop and living space. The exterior is an asymmetric arrangement of delicate ironwork lining protruding and recessed spaces. A variety of window styles are positioned freely on the exterior. Through these features, Horta was able to design a deeply personal and expressive façade. Housed in the Art Nouveau interiors is a permanent display of furniture, utensils and art objects designed by Horta and his contemporaries, as well as documents related to his life and time. The museum organises temporary exhibitions on topics related to Horta and his art. Recognition by UNESCO The four major town houses – Hôtel Tassel, Hôtel Solvay, Hôtel van Eetvelde, and Maison & Atelier Horta – located in Brussels and designed by the architect Victor Horta, one of the earliest initiators of Art Nouveau, are some of the most remarkable pioneering works of architecture of the end of the 19th century. 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. See also France travel guide Spain travel guide Catalonia travel guide Pyrenees travel guideThe post Major town houses of the architect Victor Horta (Brussels) first appeared on All PYRENEES.