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Victor Horta was born in Ghent, Belgium, He enrolled at Ghent Academy studying architecture . Two years later he left for Paris where he worked for Jules Dubuysson's workshop for more than a year. On his return to Belgium, he took up an apprenticeship at Balat's, an Architect who designed the famous greenhouses at Laeken and while working for Balat he went on to win numerous awards. In 1885 Horta designed some of his first houses. But it is with the Hotel Tassel (1893) that Victor Horta first expressed his fantastic original talent, he invented a completely new practice of building where the use of exposed ironwork and glass facades would be the dominant feature, this proved to be so popular and in demand it went on to be used all over Europe. He designed the following buildings which are today recognised as true masterpieces, Lambeaux Pavillion (1889), Mattyn House (1889), Hotel Solvay(1898), Maison du Peuple (1899), his own house (now the Victa Horta Museum, 1901), Monument to Brahms (1902 in Vienna) department stores such as L'Innovation (1903), Grand Bazaar Department Store (1903 Frankfurt) and Waucquez Warehouse (1906), He also designed the Bruggman Hospital in Brussels (1906). These are just a few of the buildings he dseigned, most of them being in Brussels, because of this by 1932 Victor Horta was held in such admiration that he was bestowed with the title of Baron.
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The Victor Horta House Brussels
The house is now the Victor Horta Museum
The landing has mirrors both side to give the illusion of eternity
Below is the stairway and lounge area in the family room, everything is stunning, the bronze lights formimg part of the wall and support, the settee is forming part of the wall and bannister, it is all set on different levels so hard to photograph, this area alone is worth the visit just to see the genius architecture of this building, which was afterall his family home.
>> Plan a visit to the Horta Museum <<
Below are images from the Waucquez Warehouses. Horta built the house in 1906 for the Waucquez family who used it for a wholesale cloth business, today the building is 'The Comic Strip Museum'
