The architect that most accurately captures the spirit of the Art Nouveau (or Jugendstil) is, in my opinion, Victor Horta. Horta was born in 1861 in Ghent (Belgium) and started his carreer as a interior designer in Montmartre, Paris. After his father’s death he moved to Brussels, where he graduated at the Academy of Arts and received his first gold medal for his art.
A year after graduating he started his own bureau, entered many contests and networked a lot, which paid off because Horta became a very popular artist. His design for the Hotel Tassel in 1893 is generally seen as the start of the Art Nouveau. He introduced many new concepts in architecture, which are still used today, for example the bel étage and the soutterain.
Due to copyright issues, not a lot of Horta architecture pictures are online (and you can’t take pictures in the museum!) So if you’re ever visiting Brussels, checking out some Horta buildings will be definately worth the effort!
The famous staircase in Hotel Tassel
The entrance of the Hotel Tassel
Rue Americaine
Stumble It!
Simply stunningly beautyfull. I will add it to my “must see” list. Next time I go to Brussles I’ll ask you for the adress.
This is probably the only staircase I’ve ever laid eyes on that I can describe as “captivating.”
@Dermut: I’m glad you like it! There’s tons of various Horta buildings in Brussels, so it’s really worth the trip :)
@Bancheese: It really is! I think it’s his most famous piece, this picture is in all the books. I think everyone loves the staircase.
[...] Victor Horta, architect of the Art Nouveau November 19, 2007 Posted by lkt2 in Architecture. Tags: 19th-century, Architecture, art-nouveau trackback Via The Victorian Era [...]
The staircase in Hotel Tassel really touches me! (Been in Brussel a couple of times but didn’t know about this :(
I reposted it on my blog so that my students can have access to. Your link quoted on top. Hope you don’t mind. Thank you very much, and keep up with your good work!
I’m glad you liked this post! Thank you for reposting it, I hope your students will appreciate it as well!
arabian culture
Thanks for the nice read, keep up the interesting posts..
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