Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels
The Centre for Fine Arts is a multi-purpose cultural venue in the Royal Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. It is often referred to as BOZAR in French or by its initials PSK in Dutch. This multidisciplinary space was designed to bring together a wide range of artistic events, whether music, visual arts, theatre, dance, literature, cinema or architecture.
The building housing the Centre for Fine Arts was designed by the architect Victor Horta in Art Deco style, and completed in 1929 at the instigation of the banker and patron of the arts Henry Le Bœuf. It includes exhibition and conference rooms, a cinema and a concert hall, which serves as home to the Belgian National Orchestra. It is located at 23, rue Ravenstein/Ravensteinstraat, between the Hôtel Ravenstein and the headquarters of BNP Paribas Fortis, and across the street from the. This site is served by Brussels-Central railway station and Parc/Park metro station on lines 1 and 5 of the Brussels Metro.
History
Planning and inception (1856–1922)
The idea of a Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels dates to the mid-19th century. In 1856, a government commission explored a venue for concerts and major exhibitions. By 1866, a law allocated one million Belgian francs for a hall for exhibitions and public ceremonies. The city even considered using the Bourse Palace or other sites, including the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark, the Botanical Garden, and the Avenue Louise/Louizalaan, but none of these plans came to fruition.In 1871, the Royal Academy of Belgium initiated a commission to explore a building for exhibitions and public ceremonies. The architect Alphonse Balat presented plans for a Palais des Beaux-Arts on the Rue de la Régence/Regentschapsstraat, approved in 1872. Construction began in 1874, and the building opened on 1 August 1880 with a major exhibition of Belgian art. It hosted events until 1887, when the Museum of Ancient Art's collections reduced available space, leaving a gap for contemporary art and a large concert hall.
In 1913, King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth, keen supporters of music and the arts, urged the City of Brussels' then-mayor, Adolphe Max, to create a "temple dedicated to music and the visual arts" in Brussels. By July 1914, the city architect had designed concert halls and exhibition spaces on the Rue Ravenstein/Ravensteinstraat, in keeping with the Royal Quarter's 18th-century style, but the outbreak of World War I halted the plans.
In 1919, the Minister of Public Works Edward Anseele revived the project through a commission chaired by the senator Émile Vinck, aiming to foster Belgium's post-war cultural renaissance and promote national art internationally. Vinck appointed Victor Horta to design the new Centre for Fine Arts, surpassing a competing plan by Georges Hano. The City of Brussels ceded a plot in November 1919.
Between October 1919 and August 1922, Horta produced some five versions of the design. The plot was irregularly shaped, with a steep incline between the Rue Royale/Koningsstraat and the much lower Rue Terarken/Terarkenstraat, and the new building was intended to face the Rue Ravenstein. The alignment of the Rue Ravenstein had been altered between 1911 and 1913 and was built on a concrete structure, situating the construction site below the elevated street. Beyond the slope, planning rules and city council requirements posed further constraints: an easement preserving the view from the Royal Palace to the Town Hall's spire prohibited construction beyond the 18th-century garden wall of the, while the city required shops along the Rue Ravenstein to revitalise the area and generate rental income.
In June 1920, the government requested a 9-million-franc loan for construction, but the Senate approved only 100,000 francs, stalling the project. Vinck then proposed a private company to fund and operate the venue, with the state guaranteeing the loan. On 4 April 1922, the non-profit organisation Société du Palais des Beaux-Arts was established, allowing work to begin. Horta began designing the Centre for Fine Arts in a geometric classical style influenced by Art Deco, distinct from his earlier Art Nouveau works.
It was not until 1922, under the non-profit organisation led by the banker and patron of the arts Henry Le Bœuf, that the plans assumed their final form. They featured two major exhibition circuits around the concert hall and sculpture hall, with entrances merged into a corner rotunda giving the building grandeur while harmonising with adjacent architecture. The interior included a small recital auditorium, a Latin cross-shaped concert hall, and varied flooring and finishes, including marble, herringbone parquet, and terrazzo, originally in ochre and gold. Reinforced concrete allowed Horta to design a sculptural horseshoe-shaped concert hall combining economic viability with intimacy for performers, addressing Eugène Ysaÿe's desire to feel surrounded by the audience. Tensions arose between Horta and Le Bœuf over structural systems and acoustics, eventually resolved with input from the Parisian acoustician Gustave Lyon in May 1925.
Construction and early years (1923–1931)
Construction officially began in 1923, shaped by the site's challenges: the irregular slope, the need to incorporate shops along the main façade, and height restrictions to preserve the royal sightline. In late October 1919, Victor Horta had assured Émile Vinck's commission that the building would be largely completed by May 1920, with final touches to the concert hall, decorative arts floors, and gardens finished by July. Even accounting for the Senate's funding delays, this was highly optimistic. Ultimately, construction would take seven years, largely due to the steeply sloping site, the need to remove old foundations, shore up neighbouring buildings, and manage rainwater and sewage. The decision to build mainly with exposed reinforced concrete added further complexity, requiring intricate formwork, and a planned steel concert hall was replaced with concrete at Armand Blaton's suggestion. Financial difficulties, caused by limited subscriptions and the Belgian franc's depreciation, also slowed progress.Although still unfinished, the Centre for Fine Arts welcomed visitors to its exhibition rooms on 4 May 1928, including the royal family and many distinguished guests. King Albert I, in his address, stressed the importance of nurturing intellectual and artistic life as part of Belgium's post-war recovery. The opening showcased works from Belgium, France, Russia, and Switzerland, and on 18 May, the sculpture hall was inaugurated by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes performing La Sylphide.
From the outset, the board of directors managed 40 exhibition rooms, offering of picture rail. Under the programme manager Charles Leirens, the 1928–29 season included major retrospectives of Antoine Bourdelle, James Ensor, and Gustave Van de Woestijne, with catalogues available and works for sale. Architectural exhibitions began in 1930, highlighted by the 3rd Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne and a full-size kitchen by Louis-Herman De Koninck, followed by a monographic exhibition on Frank Lloyd Wright. The 627-seat chamber music hall opened on 18 November 1928 with the Pro Arte Quartet and quickly hosted top-tier recitals, jazz concerts, and dance performances. The adjoining small recital hall, called the Studio, opened the next day for screenings, including Paris 20 Years Ago, Max Fleischer cartoons, and Roy Del Ruth's Wolf's Clothing, earning praise from the press for its comfortable seats and excellent films. Finally, on 10 October 1929, the large concert hall welcomed its inaugural performance, attended by the royal family, featuring works by César Franck and Peter Benoit.
Under Charles Leirens, the Centre for Fine Arts became a lively cultural hub for exhibitions, concerts, theatre, and films, but his ambitious programme caused financial losses. In 1929, the board created independent auxiliary societies to manage events, share profits, and assume losses. Leirens was criticised for poor administration and neglecting room hire, and in October 1931, he was replaced by General Paul Giron, prompting press ridicule.
First renovation
Although the Centre for Fine Arts opened in 1928, hosting exhibitions, concerts, and other events, its design soon struggled to meet evolving artistic demands. Even before completion, disputes over the chamber music hall's decoration arose, and the large concert hall was still under construction. Within six months, the small recital hall was converted into a Studio for film screenings, with curtains and a screen installed, a modest change that foreshadowed more extensive modifications in the 1930s and post-war period. Later, the Studio, chamber music hall, and concert hall were equipped for sound films, and rooms originally intended for exhibitions or sculpture often found new uses, such as the large sculpture hall hosting car shows or private events instead of monumental works.Paul Giron (1931–1946)
Despite the 1929 stock market crash and ensuing economic crisis, the Centre for Fine Arts became a major cultural venue of Brussels in the 1930s. Under the auxiliary societies, it hosted exhibitions, concerts, plays, dance, films, and lectures. Henry Le Bœuf's Société Philharmonique, aiming to introduce the public to little-known composers, staged numerous concerts from 1931, with the Brussels Symphony Orchestra becoming the Centre's resident ensemble in 1936 as the Belgian National Orchestra, alongside visiting foreign orchestras.Visual arts exhibitions, managed by the Société Auxiliaire des Expositions under and Robert Giron, ranged from week-long shows to month-long retrospectives, highlighting Belgian and international artists such as Permeke, Magritte, Modigliani, Dufy, Van Dongen, Chagall, and more. The first International Photography Exhibition took place in 1932, featuring artists including, Eugène Atget, Germaine Krull, and Man Ray. Rooms were also hired for annual salons, commercial events, public auctions, and diverse displays, from furniture and cars to competitive exams, banquets, and lottery draws. The large concert hall hosted symphonies, theatre, and dance, while the chamber music hall accommodated regular theatrical performances due to Horta's lack of a permanent theatre.