ARAU – Arkadia.be – Le Bus Bavard – Itinéraires – La Fonderie – Pro Velo
PRESS RELEASE
Biennial Art Nouveau Event 2007
In the context of the celebrations for the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the 4 th Brussels Art Nouveau Biennial Event will examine the theme of the emergence of Art Nouveau from multiple European influences. Art Nouveau is widely recognised as the most important style in the history of Brussels’ architecture. During October 2007, Voir et Dire Bruxelles offers the public an opportunity to discover the Art Nouveau heritage of a different district of Brussels each weekend . October 6th and 7th : The Origins of Art Nouveau – Saint Gilles and the Avenue Louise district October 13th and 14th : The Art Nouveau Boom – Schaerbeek and Northern Brussels October 20th and 21st : Innovative Art Nouveau – The Etterbeek, Ixelles Ponds and Squares districts October 27th and 28th : The Many Facets of Art Nouveau – The City centre, Marolles and Saint-Josseten-Noode districts
During these weekends, many interiors that are normally private will be open to the public, some for the very first time. The interior visits will show the variety of Art Nouveau architecture and interior design, and include town-houses, private homes, schools, cafés and shops. Visitors can also participate in seminars, presentations and entertainments to enhance their appreciation of Art Nouveau crafts. During each weekend, about twenty guided tours, on foot, by bicycle or by coach will take participants around districts of the city with a rich heritage of Art Nouveau design, including Ixelles, Saint-Gilles, the City Centre, Schaerbeek, Jette, Laeken, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Koekelberg, the Marolles and Saint-Josse-tenNoode. Guided tours By coach €12 per person On foot and by bicycle €8 per person Interior visits Four-weekend passport €35 One-weekend passport €12 Individual visit €5
Voir et Dire Bruxelles Information Line : 02 534 6800 (international +322 534 6800)
E-mail: voiretdirebruxelles@belgacom.net Website :www.voiretdirebruxelles.be Press Contact: Isabelle Paelinck : 02 219 33 45 (+322 219 3345) or 0477 29 40 55 (+32 477 294 055) Sophie Le Grand : 0475 61 47 23 (+32 475 614 723) By post : Voir et Dire Bruxelles, 120, rue Hôtel des Monnaies, 1060 Brussels, Belgium
ARAU – Arkadia.be – Le Bus Bavard – Itinéraires – La Fonderie – Pro Velo
The First Brussels Art Nouveau Biennial Event in 2001 was a one-day event and attracted a total of 750 visitors, most of whom lived in Brussels. The last one, in 2005, was held over five weekends and attracted 26,000 visitors, many from other European countries and North America. Some of this phenomenal growth can be ascribed to the increased interest in Art Nouveau as a style and a fashion, but the major draw is still the access to wonderful Art Nouveau interiors that are not usually visible by the public. These interiors are not just houses, but also include schools and commercial buildings. The 77 interior visits and 106 guided tours that make up the 2007 Brussels Art Nouveau Biennial Event will enable participants to experience the many facets of this unique style in the unique setting of Brussels, which has been called “The Capital of Art Nouveau”. The six cultural tourism associations that make up Voir et Dire Bruxelles each have their own way of presenting the Art Nouveau style and explaining its significance, and their guides are enthusiastic sharers of knowledge. Here is a selection of interior visits and guided tours from the 2007 programme, to whet your appetite!
Interior visits :
Otlet House, rue de Florence 13, 1000 Brussels Open 7 October from 11am to 1pm and from 2pm to 6pm (Visits must be reserved in advance) The astonishingly asymmetrical facade of this luxurious house, completed in 1897, is the work of the architect Octave Van Rysselberghe, who was assisted by Henry Van de Velde in the rich decoration of the interior. Max Hallet House, Avenue Louise 346, 1000 Brussels Open 6, 7, 20 and 21 October from 9am to 4pm (Visits must be reserved in advance, and supplement of €10 per person is payable at the door) One of the masterpieces of Victor Horta, this house for Max Hallet, a prominent lawyer and politician, was completed in 1905, but has never been open to the public before. The interior is a magical, harmonious blend of curves and counter-curves, reflecting in splendid glass ceilings and stained-glass windows. Ciamberlani House, rue Defacqz 48, 1050 Brussels Open 6 October 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5.20pm and 7 October from 1pm to 6pm In this 1897 house for the flamboyant painter Alberto Ciamberlani, the architect Paul Hankar developed his highly-personal geometric version of Art Nouveau. The building’s enormous facade is covered in sgraffiti panels designed by Ciamberlani that have recently been restored to their original glory.
Seminars and Entertainments
A new feature of the programme for 2007 is a series of seminars, led by speakers who are recognised experts on Art Nouveau crafts, such as sgraffiti, jewellery, wrought-ironwork and stained-glass, which are linked to visits to workshops and practical demonstrations of creation and restoration techniques. There are also concerts, exhibitions and story-telling events for children each week-end.
Guided Tours
Treasures of Art Nouveau – by bike – Pro Velo This tour leads us back to the origins of an architectural style that put Brussels on the map, with the 'manifest'-houses built by two main masters of Art Nouveau, Horta and Hankar. The tour is packed with other architects' creations as well : Blerot, the Delune brothers, Saintenoy...15 kms by bike to discover series of houses as well as individual treasures, builtfor the richest amongst the bourgeois, as well as for the less favoured classes. > The cyclists' house, 15 rue de Londres, 1050 Brussels on Sundays 7, 14, 21, 28 October at 3pm Art Nouveau in the Squares district – on foot – Arkadia.be The delightful Art Nouveau buildings of this prestigious residential district demonstrate Victor Horta's influence on a whole generation of architects. This tour through the essence of Art Nouveau will expose its many architectural variations.
> from in front of the Maison Saint-Cyr, Square Ambiorix 11, 1000 Brussels on Saturday 13 October and on Sunday 14 October at 10am, on Saturday 20 October and on Sunday 21 October at 2pm Brussels 1900 Art Nouveau – by bus – ARAU This tour has been the most popular of ARAU’s tours for 30 years. It offers participants a wide panorama of facades and interiors of the most important Art Nouveau buildings in the city, and helps them understand the historical and social factors that influenced their construction. Several of the most spectacular Art Nouveau buildings in the city are now recognised as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The guide’s commentary will emphasise the particularities of each building, including the skill of the original builders and craftsmen, as well as their restorers. The tour includes visits to Art Nouveau interiors, several of which are not normally open to the public, including Victor Horta’s Van Eetvelde house, the Hannon house by Jules Brunfaut, Henri Jacob’s spectacular School N° 1 in Schaerbeek, Victor Horta’s primary school in the rue St-Ghislain and Victor Horta’s former Wauquez drapery store, now the Belgian Strip Cartoon Centre. The interiors visited on each tour will vary according to availability. > In front of the Metropole Hotel, place De Brouckère, 1000 Brussels Each Saturday of October at 9.45am Art Nouveau and the urban development of the city centre – on foot – La Fonderie In the light of the urban development and the transformation of the city centre at the end of the 19th century, this tour will explore the emergence of Art Nouveau in Brussels. > Porte de Flandre, on the bridge over the canal, 1000 Brussels on Saturdays 13, 27 of October at 2pm