Horta Museum
The Horta Museum is a museum in Brussels, Belgium, dedicated to the life and work of the architect Victor Horta and his time. The museum is housed in Horta's former town house and workshop, built between 1898 and 1901, in Art Nouveau style. It is located at 23–25, rue Américaine/Amerikaansestraat in the municipality of Saint-Gilles.
Together with three other town houses of Victor Horta, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2000 as the core of epoch-making urban residences that Horta designed before 1900.
Architecture
The town house was designed by Victor Horta, and served as his workshop and living space. Horta was known for his significant role in defining the Art Nouveau style. His town house designs were a thoughtfully arranged, tight sequence of spaces specifically suited to his upper class clients.The exterior of the Horta Museum is an asymmetric arrangement of delicate ironwork lining protruding and recessed spaces. A variety of window styles are positioned freely on the exterior. Through these features, Horta was able to design a deeply personal and expressive façade.
Housed in the Art Nouveau interiors is a permanent display of furniture, utensils and art objects designed by Horta and his contemporaries, as well as documents related to his life and time. The museum organises temporary exhibitions on topics related to Horta and his art. The interior also holds features such as light fixtures, door handles, and coat hooks, each designed specifically for the project in the Art Nouveau style.
The interior decoration utilises many different materials and techniques. Horta left the structure exposed in parts of the house, which was an intentional decision made because iron was not commonly used as a structural material in Europe at the time. The stairwell is lined with iron banisters, leading up to an arching stained-glass skylight. Leaded glass was used for the skylight and door panels on the front door. The walls lining the staircase hold one of the largest examples of sgraffito in Europe. Other parts of the house were decorated using a variety of techniques such as mosaic tiling, fresco, and wallpaper. Wood elements for the interior were richly carved, and left natural to emphasise the quality of the wood.
Awards
The UNESCO commission recognised the Horta Museum as UNESCO World Heritage in 2000, as part of the listing 'Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta':An extensive restoration project was completed in 2013. In 2014, it won the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award.