May 2026
Brussels Art Nouveau, a short guide
Horta, Hankar, Van de Velde: a grammar born in Brussels, readable down to the furniture.
Brussels is the laboratory of Art Nouveau. From 1893, Victor Horta Hôtel Tassel imposed a simple, radical idea: structure can be beautiful, and the plant line can carry iron as well as wood.
In furniture this means uprights extending into curves, visible joinery and handles cast into the mass. Nothing is applied onto the form: the decoration is the form.
Hunting Art Nouveau in Brussels calls for caution. Many pieces were heavily restored in the 1970s; always check the condition of bent veneers and the origin of the metalwork.
