Victor Horta is celebrated for his Art Nouveau achievements, but his work on Brussels Central Station was fraught with challenges.
Another Art Nouveau enthusiast, Henry van de Velde, also played a significant role in modernising Belgian railways. In their book, “Victor Horta – Henry van de Velde, Railways, Crossed Paths,” two authors explore their contributions.
In part one, Françoise Aubry, who curated the Horta Museum from 1981 to 2018, details Victor Horta’s struggles with Belgian rail officials, particularly the National Office for the Completion of the North-Midi Junction (ONJ), founded in 1935. This body was responsible for the north-south rail axis in Brussels and central station development.
Horta’s involvement began in 1913 when the railway administration formally invited him to work on the central station project. His relationship with engineers was strained, while two world wars further delayed progress. Ultimately, his third design received approval in 1937. Despite this, tensions over his payment persisted. “It’s shocking how the authorities mistreated one of the nation’s greatest architects,” the author laments.
Brussels Central Station was inaugurated in 1952, five years after Horta’s death. His successor, Maxime Brunfaut, took the spotlight, and Horta’s name was omitted from the opening ceremony. “Horta likely felt great bitterness seeing his work disrespected,” suggests Belgian architect Francis Metzger, who restored the station in 2008.
Henry van de Velde had a smoother relationship with the railway company. As an artistic adviser from 1932 to 1938, he advocated for metal train carriages to enhance passenger safety. He designed new motor units and detailed interiors, with two restored examples now displayed at Train World in Schaerbeek.
The release of “Railways, Crossed Paths” by Snoeck coincides with the “Draw Me a Train!” exhibition at the railway museum, highlighting the book’s protagonists and other artists.
Henry van de Velde’s K1 carriages were only retired in 1988. “A testament to their robustness and exceptional longevity, several have been repurposed as restaurant cars by a chain in Belgium and France,” notes Anne Van Loo, an architectural scholar.
Van de Velde’s collaboration with the SNCB ended imperfectly. In 1938, he advised modernising the royal train’s wooden carriages, but the job went to various decorating firms. “Van de Velde had to accept that artistic control and stylistic unity had given way to competition,” the author concludes.
