Building
© Sint-Lukasarchief
Rue Darwin 15, 17, façades (1975).
Rue Darwin 15, 17, façades (1975).
© ARCHistory
Rue Darwin 15, street façade, French window and bow window on the first floor (2019).
Rue Darwin 15, street façade, French window and bow window on the first floor (2019).
© ARCHIstory
Rue Darwin 15, street façade, French window and bow window on the first floor (photo 2019).
Rue Darwin 15, street façade, French window and bow window on the first floor (photo 2019).
© ARCHIstory
Rue Darwin 17, first-floor studio (photo 2019).
Rue Darwin 17, first-floor studio (photo 2019).
© ARCHIstory
Street façade, ground-floor window (2019).
Street façade, ground-floor window (2019).
In Ons Volk Ontwaakt, 3de jaar, nr 9, 1 maart 1913, p. 96
Louise de Hem in the reception hall on the ground floor of the studio (photo ca. 1906).
Louise de Hem in the reception hall on the ground floor of the studio (photo ca. 1906).
© ARCHIstory
Rue Darwin 15, ground floor, openwork wooden arch (photo 2019).
Rue Darwin 15, ground floor, openwork wooden arch (photo 2019).
© ARCHIstory
Rue Darwin 15, transom sgraffito above the second-floor windows (photo 2018)
Rue Darwin 15, transom sgraffito above the second-floor windows (photo 2018)
© ARCHIstory
Rue Darwin 17, sgraffito (photo 2017)
Rue Darwin 17, sgraffito (photo 2017)
"The most famous and universally admired of Belgian women artists" was how contemporaries described Louise De Hem. Having a large studio built in 1905 on land adjacent to her home was a powerful statement of independence on the part of the artist and painter. The composition of the two buildings' façades – consisting entirely of blue and white stone with red grouting – and the panoply of decorative features point unerringly to their designer, Ernest Blerot.
With its oriel window on a carved stone base, ornate joinery, colourful stained-glass windows and sinuous balustrades, the façade of the house was a replica of that at number 41, Place Morichar, which the architect had designed in 1900. The historiated mosaic paintings have been transposed here in sgraffito, Blerot's preferred technique. The interior was also decorated in fashionable style, as evidenced by the series of colourful stained-glass windows and the geometric design of the joinery arch separating the central and rear rooms.
The wide façade of the neighbouring building clearly proclaims its function as a studio, with the huge windows and long sgraffito artwork representing an allegory of Painting in front of a sunset. While the owner opted for Art Nouveau on the façade, the interior of the studio was in the eclectic style.
Since 2017, Louise De Hem's former studio and home have once again formed a single property – a great boon for this exceptional set of buildings.
Nearby
By the same architect
With its oriel window on a carved stone base, ornate joinery, colourful stained-glass windows and sinuous balustrades, the façade of the house was a replica of that at number 41, Place Morichar, which the architect had designed in 1900. The historiated mosaic paintings have been transposed here in sgraffito, Blerot's preferred technique. The interior was also decorated in fashionable style, as evidenced by the series of colourful stained-glass windows and the geometric design of the joinery arch separating the central and rear rooms.
The wide façade of the neighbouring building clearly proclaims its function as a studio, with the huge windows and long sgraffito artwork representing an allegory of Painting in front of a sunset. While the owner opted for Art Nouveau on the façade, the interior of the studio was in the eclectic style.
Since 2017, Louise De Hem's former studio and home have once again formed a single property – a great boon for this exceptional set of buildings.
