Collection(s) : Walks in the city center
Paru le 05/10/2018 | Broché 175 pages
Tout public
photos Sophie Voituron
Brussels
Art deco
Seven walks, which you can do on foot or by bike, to discover the many different aspects of Art Deco and modernist architecture in various neighbourhoods throughout Brussels.
Art Deco, which essentially was an extension of the decorative Art Nouveau, developed in the Twenties, giving rise to the construction of a variety of buildings including the Centre for Fine Arts, private mansions, town houses and even the first apartment buildings. Drawing on multiple different sources of inspiration, the more geometric Art Deco became the epitome of luxury and refinement. This style conveyed the values of a middle class that celebrated its freedom after the unimaginable violence of the Great War. These were the Roaring Twenties, the jazz age, an era marked by a general loosening of morals and movement and speed, with the arrival of transatlantic travel, cars and even the first airplanes.
At the same time, Modernists argued in favour of a more rational, pared down architecture, which allowed for greater freedom of style and which was more likely also to meet the pressing demand for more housing after the war.
This book discusses the personality of several key architects through a variety of architectural programmes, as well as giving an overview of an exciting era and offering readers some keys to identify the heritage that lines the streets of Brussels.
A Brussels native with a degree in history, Cécile Dubois works as a guide-lecturer, organises guided tours and, for several years, helped organise the Art Nouveau and Art Deco Biennial, together with Voir et Dire Bruxelles.
She has always been fascinated by the diversity and original forms of the architecture of the interwar period, specialising in it.
Sophie Voituron is a passionate architecture photographer, who understands the art of adding movement to otherwise rigid structures, revealing the soul of the buildings she photographs, much like other photographers might capture a person's soul in a portrait. She has worked with architects and urban planners for several years, promoting their work and highlighting the natural elegance of the buildings around us, that define the landscape of our daily life.
