The Brussels Region has announced that next year will be the Art Nouveau Year as an important anniversary will be celebrated in the Capital of Europe. The Tassel House was inaugurated in Brussels in 1893, an iconic building designed by Victor Horta; it was his first ‘Art Nouveau’ construction. On the occasion of this 130th anniversary, the Brussels Region will organize several events aimed at showcasing Art Nouveau in all its splendor.
The Tassel House represents the very first summation of the elements of Art Nouveau: color, ironwork, mosaics, stained glass and the omnipresence of light. For the architects, the house became a complete work of art and Art Nouveau was found throughout: architecture, furniture, carpets, decorative objects, jewelry, posters, etc.
The Year of Art Nouveau program will enrich the cultural and tourist offer of our region and will reinforce its tourism assets throughout 2023.
Rudi Vervoort, Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region
Beyond its architectural and decorative aspects, Art Nouveau was, above all, ideological. The artists, architects and craftsmen of the time, frightened by an intensifying industrialization, advocated a return to nature, to the quality and durability of manufactured objects, but also to beauty as an essential part of life.
“We are too modest compared to cities like Barcelona, that manage to make more publicity about their cultural heritage. But in reality, Brussels is the capital of the Art Nouveau”, the Brussels State Secretary responsible for Heritage, Pascal Smet, told a press conference at the Hôtel Van Eetvelde.
1. A rich and inclusive program
Art Nouveau Brussels 2023 is organized jointly by urban.brussels, visit.brussels and their partners. Under the supervision of the Art Nouveau Brussels 2023 commissioner, Paul Dujardin, all partners have been mobilized for months now, to concoct a program that is as rich as it is varied.
We need to show these marvels to as many people as possible. The people of Brussels can be proud of their heritage.
Pascal Smet, Secretary of State for the Brussels-Capital Region
The program will highlight major heritage elements through a refreshed and reinforced museum offer, numerous large-scale exhibitions, festive events, guided tours, conferences, publications and multiple international partnerships.
2. Hannon House
Closed to the public for several years, this little Art Nouveau gem will reopen its doors in 2023. Built by Jules Brunfaut for Edouard Hannon, an aesthete and collector, Hannon House has exceptional architecture, furniture and decoration. On the first floor, the building will also present a temporary exhibition lasting several months on Belgian Art Nouveau.
3. A new tour at the Art and History Museum
After the reconstitution of the Wolfers jewellery shop, designed by Victor Horta, the Art and History Museum is continuing its approach by devoting two new rooms to the 19th and 20th centuries and by proposing a brand new tour dedicated to Art Nouveau from autumn 2023. This will present several exceptional pieces, including the famous winter garden designed by Victor Horta for Jean Cousin.
4. An Art Nouveau Interpretation Centre: the Van Eetvelde Office
Van Eetvelde House, built by Victor Horta, is an exceptional building listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Divided into two parts, the left-hand side was recently acquire Brussels-Capital Region, with the ambition of developing an Art Nouveau interpretation centre, making it a place for dialogue with contemporary creation, but also a space for research and debate, by questioning, among other things, the links with colonialism.
Van Eetvelde House is also strategically located to become the information point for the Year of Art Nouveau. It will be open to the public several days a week and will host numerous activities (lectures, workshops, etc.). Visitors will also be able to visit Edmond Van Eetvelde’s former office and learn more about Brussels’ Art Nouveau through an exhibition tracing the major moments of this movement, as well as its relationship with colonialism.
5. Major festive events
Iconic buildings and collections accessible throughout the year. Major events such as the Bright Festival (16-19 February) and the Iris Festival (6-7 May) will pay homage to Art Nouveau. The BANAD Festival (11 to 26 March) and Heritage Days (16 and 17 September), two events that aim to highlight and showcase iconic buildings, will further expand their program. Numerous other events will be held to promote Art Nouveau, such as the BRAFA (January), Spring at the Cemeteries (May) and the Artonov Festival (October).
The Bright Festival returns to Brussels from 16 to 19 February . The unmissable Bright Festival of Lights returns to round off the winter and illuminate our evenings ✨ ✨
— visitbrussels (@visitbrussels) November 24, 2022
Info 👉 https://t.co/uUrbisNyM5 pic.twitter.com/hdkH40qENU
6. Iconic buildings and collections accessible throughout the year
A large number of buildings and collections will be made accessible on a one-off basis, but ten or so will be open throughout the year. These include seven of Victor Horta’s masterpieces: the Horta Museum, Solvay House, Van Eetvelde House, Autrique House, the Comic Strip Museum, the Pavilion of Human Passions and the Wolfers Frères Jewellery Shop, which will be made accessible thanks to the Art and History Museum.
Two other museums will allow visitors to admire exceptional architecture and collections: the Musical Instruments Museum and the Fin-de-Siècle Museum. Finally, Cauchie House and Hannon House, two house museums, will present the daily life of the artists and collectors of the period.
7. Exhibitions
Art Nouveau Brussels 2023 also aims to question the obvious about Victor Horta’s work, notably through the “Victor Horta and the Grammar of Art Nouveau” exhibition at BOZAR and “Victor Horta versus Art Nouveau. Horta’s vocabulary” at the Horta Museum (March to December); as well as an physical and digital interactive experience around the stone facade of Aubecq House. Stoclet Palace, one of the capital’s most iconic buildings, will also be honored as part of the “Josef Hoffmann: Beyond Beauty and Modernity” exhibition at the Museum of Art and History.
A bathroom by Josef Hoffman from 1914 for The Stoclet Palace, Brussels pic.twitter.com/IEWCPxLj03
— ken crichlow (@ken_crichlow) April 14, 2020
8. Guided tours, lectures, workshops and publications
Throughout the year, various cultural actors (museums, communes, tour guide associations and other organizations) will present guided tours throughout the region, as well as guided tours of buildings (private houses, schools, etc.) and building sites. Numerous conferences will be organized alongside the exhibitions but also as part of the annual programs, by various partners. Several publications are also in preparation.
9. Brussels, starting point of the international Art Nouveau Network
Several Belgian cities and institutions are also taking part in this Year of Art Nouveau, as custodians of a heritage that links them to the Belgian capital and enables Brussels to strengthen its position at the crossroads of influences, creations and initiatives.
Emulation can be found beyond our borders, with many international delegations involved, thanks to exhibitions and meetings highlighting the connections between their countries of origin and Art Nouveau in Brussels. During Art Nouveau Brussels 2023, the 18 cities that make up the Réseau Art Nouveau Network (RANN), of which Brussels is a founding member, will present their Art Nouveau heritage.
