Victor Horta's Museum, now bigger and better

For fans of Art Nouveau, the house built by Belgian architect Victor Horta for himself and his family is a must-see in Brussels. Now, with the opening of a new extension, the Horta Museum can accommodate more visitors, while reducing the strain on its historic architecture and interiors.

The revamped museum still offers an intimate encounter with Horta’s genius while adding greatly to the visitor experience. Horta is credited with designing the first Art Nouveau building in the world in 1893. He went on to have a successful career, receiving commissions from the bourgeoisie and, later, for commercial and civic buildings in Brussels such as Bozar.

His own residence on Rue Americaine in Saint-Gilles was built in 1898, with an adjoining studio added soon after. It displays all the hallmarks of Horta’s Art Nouveau style, including an innovative plan with rooms radiating off a central staircase.

He also designed the interiors down to the tiniest detail, from the floors and furniture to light fixtures and door hardware. Walking through the museum allows visitors to experience one of his unique houses from the inside out.

Listed building

One of Horta’s former students, Jean Delhaye, persuaded the municipality of Sint-Gillis to buy the house in 1961, with the goal of turning it into a museum dedicated to the architect and his work. It was the first Art Nouveau building to be listed in Belgium.

Ever since it opened in 1969, the Horta Museum has attracted visitors from around the world, and in 2000 it was added to the Unesco World Heritage List.

But over the years, as the numbers of visitors has steadily increased, the museum’s popularity literally became a burden. The wear and tear from foot traffic and the weight of administrative functions took their toll on 100-year-old structures originally intended to house a family of three.

Although a long-term restoration plan developed in 1989 foresaw the need for an extension, it wasn’t until 2007 that the municipality was able to buy the house next door. Built by Horta’s contemporary, Jules Brunfaut, it had undergone so many transformations over the years that nothing of the original interior remained.

That allowed the architects to start again from scratch and design a new interior perfectly suited to the museum’s needs. Visitors now enter through the ground floor of the Brunfaut house, which functions as both reception area and gift shop. Previously, they often had to queue outside the front door of Horta’s house, since it can only accommodate up to 45 people at once. Now they can wait inside the building or in the garden behind the extension.

Under strain

The upper floors of the extension now house the museum’s administrative offices and its archives. The museum has the largest library devoted exclusively to Art Nouveau, with more than 5,000 volumes, as well as Horta’s personal archives.

The combined weight of this material was simply placing too much strain on the upper floors of Horta’s studio, where they were previously kept. By moving its administrative and research functions to a separate building, the museum is also able to open up more of Horta’s residence to the public.

The most dramatic change is the opening of the ground-floor kitchen, which was completely inaccessible to visitors before. Heavily damaged at the time of the house’s purchase in 1961, it has been fully restored to its original appearance and furnished with pieces designed by Horta and other objects from the period.

Connecting the kitchen to the floors above, the servants’ staircase has also been opened to visitors, helping to improve traffic flow and relieve some of the strain on the main staircase. After visiting the guest room on the top floor, visitors now descend via the servants’ stairs and finish their visit in the kitchen.

Much-needed space

Along the way, they can also view two rooms adjoining the dining room. The butler’s pantry allowed servants to pass food brought up from the kitchen into the dining room, and a small room off the butler’s pantry – which until recently served as the museum secretary’s office – may have been used as a breakfast room.

Though the museum remains popular with foreign visitors, it has struggled to attract locals who may have visited once but see no reason to return.

Finally, the extension also adds much-needed exhibition space. For the first time, temporary exhibitions can be mounted in a large, airy gallery above the reception area. The museum will host two exhibitions a year, alternating between contemporary decorative arts and topics related to Art Nouveau.

Photo: Didier Lebrun / Photo News