In Search of Art Nouveau in Brussels
By John Coles, March 2023.
Visitors to Brussels normally head for the medieval Lower Town to wander through the busy maze of narrow cobbled lanes and alleys, past the famous Manneken Pis, towards the beautiful Grand-Place. It’s one of most impressive squares in Europe lined with richly decorated seventeenth century guild houses.
There is another side to Brussels. The well to do districts south and east of the Upper Town were laid out in the late nineteenth century during a period of economic stability and prosperity. In contrast to the conformity of architecture of Hausmann’s Paris, new houses in Brussels were designed individually and this has created a kaleidoscope of unique buildings in an eclectic ensemble of styles. This individuality of building style is a hallmark of Belgian town architecture and gives almost every residential street, even terraces, an entertaining eccentric air.
The Art Nouveau movement, strongly influenced culture at the time and its natural curves and floral motives influenced not only jewellery and interior design but also architecture in the form of houses with exposed metal and stone interlaced with the decorative flourishes of stained glass and flowing ironwork.
The house of Victor Horta, the most acclaimed Brussels art nouveau architect, is a museum ‘shrine’ to his skills. Brussels is a wonderfully rewarding city in which to enjoy exploring by bike or as I did by a pleasant ramble seeking out these wonderful architectural pieces of art.
