Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels
.jpg) Exterior of the Centre for Fine Arts building (BOZAR) in Brussels | |
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| Address | Rue Ravenstein / Ravensteinstraat 23 1000 City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region Belgium |
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| Coordinates | 50°50′37″N 4°21′35″E / 50.84361°N 4.35972°E |
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| Type | Performing arts centre |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1929 |
| Architect | Victor Horta |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
The Centre for Fine Arts[1][2] (French: Palais des Beaux-Arts; Dutch: Paleis voor Schone Kunsten) is a multi-purpose cultural venue in the Royal Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. It is often referred to as BOZAR (a homophone of Beaux-arts) in French or by its initials PSK in Dutch. This multidisciplinary space was designed to bring together a wide range of artistic events, whether music, visual arts, theatre, dance, literature, cinema or architecture.
The building housing the Centre for Fine Arts was designed by the architect
.History
Construction (1923–1929)
Victor Horta began designing the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels following World War I, in a more geometric style than his previous works, similar to Art Deco. The Belgian Parliament initially denied funding for the plans.[3] With the founding of the Société du Palais des Beaux-Arts in 1922, the project was revived. Construction started in 1923,[4] albeit with several restrictions: the Brussels authorities supplied a very irregular area on the slope between the city's upper and the lower part, the main facade had to house shopping facilities, and the height of the building was restricted so as not to compromise the King's view of Brussels' skyline from the Royal Palace.[5]
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The building was originally intended to be built of stone, but Horta made a new plan of reinforced concrete with a steel frame. He had intended the concrete to be left exposed in the interior, but the final appearance did not meet his expectations, and he had it covered. It took more than a decade to complete the complex, which contains a large concert hall—the Henry Le Bœuf Hall—in an unusual ovoid, or egg shape. It is accompanied by a recital room, a chamber music room, lecture rooms, and a vast gallery for temporary exhibitions. He managed to put together this array of different functions on a rather small building plot with restricted conditions using more than eight building levels with a large part situated underground.
Contemporary (2000–present)
Since 2002, the Belgian federal intuition has chosen the brand name BOZAR, which has eight artistic departments: BOZAR Expo, BOZAR Music, BOZAR Cinema, BOZAR Dance, BOZAR Theatre, BOZAR Literature, BOZAR Studios and BOZAR Architecture. BOZAR is home to the
Directors
- Robert, 7th Duke d'Ursel, President of the Centre for Fine Arts
- 1974–1986 Karel Geirlandt, Director-General of exhibitions of the Centre for Fine Arts[6]
- 1998–2021: Etienne Davignon, President of the Centre for Fine Arts[7]
- 2002–2021: Paul Dujardin, Director-General of BOZAR[8]
- 15 October 2021–29 May 2022: Sophie Lauwers, Director-General of BOZAR for a brief period of seven months[9]
- 1 February 2023–ongoing: Christophe Slagmuylder, Director-General of BOZAR[10]
Facilities
- Henry Le Bœuf Hall, with seating capacity for 2,200
- Chamber Music Room, with seating capacity for 476
- Victor Horta Hall (Great Sculpture Hall)
- Studio Recital Hall, with seating capacity for 210
- Salle Terarken, a multi-purpose hall
- Exhibition rooms
Gallery
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Vestibule -
Henry Le Boeuf Hall -
Exhibition hall -
Interior -
Window
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See also
- List of museums in Brussels
- Art Deco in Brussels
- History of Brussels
- Culture of Belgium
References
Citations
- ^ "Centre for Fine Arts | Bozar Brussels". www.bozar.be. 27 December 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ "Centre for Fine Arts - Bozar". www.visit.brussels. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ Background on Horta, on bozar.be Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine (in English)
- ^ Aubry & Vandenbreeden 1997.
- ^ Wonderful Concert Halls in Europe Echo, Neils Le Large
- ^ "Huldetentoonstelling Karel Geirlandt in galerie Campo". De Tijd. 2 February 1990. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- ^ "Etienne Davignon quittera la présidence de Bozar". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- ^ "Paul Dujardin to remain Head of Bozar". 8 February 2014. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014.
- ^ Times, The Brussels. "Bozar director-general Sophie Lauwers dies aged 55". www.brusselstimes.com. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ "Christophe Slagmuylder appointed Director General of Bozar | Bozar Brussels". www.bozar.be. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
Bibliography
- Aubry, Françoise; Vandenbreeden, Jos (1997). Horta: Art Nouveau to Modernism. New York: Harry N Abrams. ISBN 978-0-8109-6333-7.
- Montens, Valérie (2000). Le Palais des Beaux-Arts. La création d'un haut lieu de culture à Bruxelles (1928-1945) (in French). Brussels: Editions de l'université de Bruxelles. ISBN 978-2-8004-1229-0.
- Le Patrimoine monumental de la Belgique: Bruxelles (PDF) (in French). Vol. 1C: Pentagone N-Z. Liège: Pierre Mardaga. 1994. p. 159–163.
External links
Media related to Bozar at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
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