Victor Horta: The Architect of Art Nouveau

Belgian architect Victor Horta's (1861–1947) dynamic approach to design, form, materials, and sense of movement revolutionized architecture and propelled it into the realm of art nouveau. Architect and educator Dernie, in collaboration with the Brussels-based Horta Museum, opens this title with seven essays focusing on Horta's background and experiences with other architects and symbolists who influenced his ideas, along with numerous photographs, drawings, and bibliographic notes. The next section highlights 19 of Horta's most notable buildings in Brussels, arranged in order of their construction, including homes, shops, and public buildings, from his earliest, the Edicule Lambeau, to his exemplary Hotel Solvay and later works. For each of the buildings, written and visual details define these remarkable treasures, with many colorful photographs of façades, rooms, staircases, windows, doors, cabinetry, mirrors, and stained glass. The work concludes with a map showing the locations of Horta's buildings in Brussels and a chronology of his life and career.