Art & History Museum in Brussels to open new rooms dedicated to 19th and 20th century decorative arts

The Art & History Museum in Brussels’ Cinquantenaire Park is busy preparing to open two new spaces to the public on 13 June.

One of the rooms is dedicated to Belgian Art Nouveau and Art Deco, the other to 19th-century decorative arts. The 1,200m² space will house exceptional works of art, many of them on show for the first time, the museum has announced.

Among the eagerly-anticipated highlights of the lengthy renovation project is the Maison Cousin winter garden (pictured above), a Victor Horta masterpiece that has been completely restored. Parts of the steel structure are finely gilded, while the ceiling and leaves of the double entrance doors are adorned with magnificent stained-glass windows. Elegant woodwork, a marble fireplace and a mosaic floor complete this showcase of refinement.

This unique reconstruction of a Horta work greets visitors in the first room that immerses them in the distinctive styles of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. The former movement, founded in 1893 in the Belgian capital, is presented through a series of themes that show off the richness and diversity of the artistic style, characterised by sinuous lines and floral motifs. The social and economic contexts of the movement are explored via presentations of the major national and international exhibitions of the time and the network of relationships between patrons and artists.

As well as Horta, other prominent figures of the movement that feature in displays are Paul Hankar, Henry van de Velde, Léon Sneyers, Gustave Serrurier-Bovy, Isidore and Hélène De Rudder and Philippe Wolfers, among others.

Belgian Art Deco is also honoured in the project, with a number of works by its major designers and artists from the interwar period, including Marcel Wolfers’ spectacular sculpture Diana the Huntress.

The movement was officially recognised at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925, which was graced by a number of Belgian talents and creations. Its centenary is currently being celebrated by the Brussels region in an extensive programme of events and activities.

In the national museum’s second new room, an exhibition of 19th-century decorative arts illustrates the evolution of styles preceding the emergence of Art Nouveau, such as neoclassical, Restoration, neo-Gothic and neo-Renaissance.

Increasing urbanisations and important societal transformations of the era are addressed through themes such as industrialisation, transport, leisure, children’s welfare and domestic spaces, as well as arts, fashion and photography during this period.

The treasures go on view to the public during a free opening weekend at the museum from 13 to 15 June.

Photos: in-situ ©BE CULTURE; Demi-canapé  Gustave Serrurier-Bovy 1902 ©Art & History Museum;