Acquisitions
The Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek has designed the furniture for the children’s workshop: known for his functional eco-furniture, he demonstrates how respect for materials and functional design are values he shares with Horta. We wish to draw the children’s attention to ideas of craft and the bespoke in a world in which the origins of ready-made objects are most often unknown. This particular commission has been made possible thanks to the patronage of Roberto Polo and the support of the Région of Bruxelles-Capitale.
The Horta Museum collections are expanding!
Thanks to generous donations and the much-valued help of the “Friends of the Horta Museum”, we have just acquired a complete collection of fireplace accessories created by Victor Horta for the Baron van Eetvelde’s office (1898-1901). Visitors to the Museum now have the opportunity to see this remarkable set, which could not have been acquired without the help of the Friends of the Horta Museum, backed by the King Baudouin Foundation.
We have likewise acquired a vase with a stand made by Victor Horta, circa 1898.
THE CAÏUS AWARD FOR PATRONAGE OF THE ARTS IN THE “PREMIER MECENAT” CATEGORY
Architects from the ART & BUILD company have produced a model of and for the Horta Museum: “Architecture itself is a work of art”. Art & Build, a European architectural practice, was founded in 1989. It has been consolidating its expertise for over 25 years, creating centres of excellence and endowing each of its building projects with their own distinctive identity and character. When developing its commissions, the firm places the buildings’ inhabitants and their well-being at the heart of its concerns. In this way, the concepts of culture and heritage have formed part of the company’s DNA ever since it was first established. As Art & Build is a Brussels-based institution, its architects are naturally keenly aware of Victor Horta’s expertise. Placing its skills and services at the Museum’s disposal, the firm has created a model of the entire Horta Museum in its production workshop. Made of birchwood to a scale of 1:20, the model will be a wonderfully informative feature, enabling our visitors to learn about volumes and circulation within the building, and the subtle ways in which its apertures allow light to penetrate the ensemble. It will form part of the Museum tour and will shortly be on view on the first floor of the Horta Museum extension, where it will also serve as a key educational tool for our younger visitors. Lastly, the model will be an invaluable means of demonstrating how architecture itself is indeed a work of art, to be viewed in the same light as a building’s décor and furniture. This is a noteworthy example of a skills-based sponsorship on the part of a committed firm.
