Personal House of the Sculptor Pierre Braecke

Victor Horta

Rue de l’Abdication 31 | Bruxelles

Ch. Bastin & J. Evrard © urban.brussels
Foot of the staircase (photo ca 1990)
Ch. Bastin & J. Evrard © urban.brussels
Coat hook, entrance hall (photo ca 1990)
Ch. Bastin & J. Evrard © urban.brussels
Façade (photo ca 1990)

This house contradicts the idea that Victor Horta was an expensive architect, a widespread opinion at the time. Horta succeeded in giving the house an original, artistic character while distracting from the simplicity of the materials. This house-cum-studio was built for the famous sculptor Pierre Braecke, who was also his friend and collaborator on several projects.

Area Quartier des squares
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Note the asymmetry of the façade. For cost-related reasons, Horta did not propose a stone façade and this material was reserved only for the surround of the double door used to bring heavy materials to the studio.
The building is wide, but understated and balanced. A tall chimney that protrudes from the roof extends down the centre of the façade. The second floor features a glass roof, which introduced light into the artist’s drawing studio.
In fact, Braecke was not only a sculptor. He painted and drew, but also designed decorative art objects such as the very beautiful door handle on the carriage entrance, which, as you will be able to see and admire, also incorporates a letter-box.

Today, the interior still retains its woodwork, combining different varieties of wood, as well as its hardware embellished with Art Nouveau lines. The walls are decorated with paintings displaying floral motifs (probably executed by Braecke himself), which have been restored using the surviving traces as guidelines.
The remarkable lower section of the bannister was designed to be a display unit. Horta also designed an imposing fireplace in the corner of the lounge and a recessed dresser in the dining room, the doors of which contain intensely coloured American glass.

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By the same architect