kaldirimlar

Living in Saint Gilles of Brussels I am fond of art nouveau. Actually my place is located only a few streets far from the house of Victor Horta.

Today returning from the hair dresser I was waiting for the tram in front of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts. As the public transport in Brussels is already with the summer schedule waiting times are rather long. The tram stop is just in front of the stairs to the museum. I have decided to enter to see the new exhibition about the Hotel Aubecq, which is a house designed by Victor Horta for Belgian industrialist Octave Aubecq, the co-founder of cookware manufacturer Le Creuset. Here is some facts about the house:

• The house was designed with three facades in order to allow maximal exposure to natural light. Construction of the frame and exterior lasted from 1899 to 1902; the interior construction was completed in 1904.
• Hôtel Aubecq was destroyed in 1949, but some of the facades have been saved with the hope that it will someday be rebuilt. One of them can be found at the entrance to Tenbosch Park, approximately 300 meters from its original location.
• Some of the original interior pieces from the house, including stained glass and wood furniture, are now on display at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

Even before moving to Saint Gilles some years ago, I remember trying to find and visit the museum of Victor Horta with my father. Since May the 29th, it is the second time I am visiting an exhibition with his soul surrounding me. Today while visiting the exhibition I also recalled our memories with the fine furniture that was presented in Orsay museum. Well today it was rather a high-speed exhibition visit, I think i stayed less than 10 minutes without entering the video room. Since the exhibition will remain open I guess I will pay another visit later in August also I have to visit the warehouse where they keep the facade of the house. In my to-do list I have to add more visits to the art nouveau houses especially in Saint Gilles.

Here are the details concerning the exhibition:

In commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of the Belgian architect Victor Horta, Brussels-Capital Region’s is proud to celebrate a unique heritage: the facade of the Aubecq hotel. The facade of this outstanding architectural achievement has been saved from demolition and fully restored. It will be shown to the public from the 1st of July to the 9th of October, as part of an exhibition dedicated to this masterpiece. For the occasion, a number of Horta’s period furniture designs will be brought together and exhibited in collaboration with the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.

Exhibition

Joining fragments together, assembling dispersed pieces, the exhibition retraces the building’s eventful history, from its construction to its recomposition, and invites the visitor behind the scenes of this architecture and its creator.

Place

Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

rue de la Régence 3

1000 Brussels

Opening hours

The exhibition is open free of charge

Tuesdays to Sundays

from 10:00 to 17:00

Access

métro 1, 5

trams 92, 93

bus 27, 38, 71, 95

Brussels Central railway station

Visiting the warehouse

Guided tours of the warehouse where the façade stones are kept will also be arranged throughout the exhibition.