Brussels marks 100 years of Art Deco with year-long programme of exhibitions
The programme for Art Deco 2025 was presented on Tuesday at Bozar in Brussels, promising a year-long celebration of the artistic movement. The event is inspired by the success of Art Nouveau 2024, which attracted 2 million visitors.
One hundred years since Art Deco's emergence at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des arts modernes décoratifs et industriels in Paris, Brussels seeks to highlight its own Art Deco heritage.
Art Deco, characterised by its geometric lines and rich ornamentation, left its mark on furniture, decorative arts and architecture. Brussels, home to exceptional examples like the Palais des Beaux-Arts by Victor Horta, quickly became a European Art Deco flagship. The city’s subsequent private mansions, bourgeois houses and apartment blocks reflect the style’s influence.
“During the Art Deco year, we want to take people back to the exuberant mood of that time,” said Brussels state secretary for Heritage Ans Persoons, who presented the programme on Tuesday.
“We will allow Brussels residents and visitors to discover how this movement came about, how it shaped society in the 1920s and 1930s and how Art Deco still defines our streetscape today. It will be a real year of discovery for this exceptional heritage.”
The city is rich with iconic Art Deco landmarks, including the Stoclet Palace in Uccle, the Flagey building in Ixelles, the Basilica of Koekelberg, the Van Buuren Museum and Gardens and the town hall of Forest. Visitors will also be able to explore treasures like Villa Empain, the Maison Autrique in Schaerbeek and the Halles Saint-Géry.
In total, there will be 14 exhibitions across Brussels, with guided tours organised by associations such as ARAU, Arkadia, the Brussels Art Deco Society and Pro Vélo. The programme, coordinated by Paul Dujardin and co-organised by urban.brussels and visit.brussels, will include visits, events and activities focusing on the social issues of the 1920s and 1930s, a time of both liberation and economic turmoil.
“With this programme, we aim to build on the dynamics of the very successful Art Nouveau year by offering Brussels another exceptional cultural experience,” said Dujardin.
Examples of Art Deco in Brussels © PHOTO BELGA HANDOUT
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