Victor Horta
Belgian (1861-1947)
Tassel House, Brussels, 1893
First floor landing with view toward staircase
Photograph by C.H. Bastin & J. Evrard, Brussels
© 2000 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/SOFAM, Brussels

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Spurred by urban redevelopment and an increasingly prosperous middle class, Brussels became one of the first cities in Europe to embrace Art Nouveau. The leader of this revolution was Victor Horta, who designed the first complete example of Art Nouveau architecture. This building was the Tassel House, a Brussels townhouse completed in 1893. In the stair hall plantlike tendrils spread from the exposed cast-iron columns to the banisters, wallpaper, and floor mosaics.

Horta was at the forefront of using this modern material, believing that structural elements should not be concealed but should double as decoration.

In seeking new forms of expression, Horta turned to nature as a source of inspiration. He didn't imitate plants so much as capture their sense of growth and vitality to convey the spirit of the modern age. "I discard the flower and the leaf, but I keep the stalk," he once said.