Horta, advocaat van Poelaert: De les van het Justitiepaleis
Stéphane Demeter, Nikolaus Hirsch, Yaron Pesztat, Bety Waknine
CIVA, 2023
€39,00
Inaugurated in 1883, Brussels’ Palace of Justice has undergone numerous adjustments that have largely changed its coherence and readability. Today, this “mastodon” has become synonymous with a labyrinthine architecture that embodies a legal system from another era.
The core of this publication is an unpublished text of 70 pages written by Victor Horta in which he, as ‘lawyer’ of Joseph Poelaert and his work, tries to defend the integrity of the Palace.
The text is accompanied by an extensively illustrated architectural analysis and a reflection on the future of the judicial function within the Palace.
In an unpublished text, Victor Horta defends the Palace of Justice and its architect Joseph Poelaert. He was displeased with the changes made to the building since it was inaugurated in 1883 – changes that he felt did not respect Poelaert’s original architectural design in any way – and set himself up as the building’s defender. However, he was a member of the committee responsible for supervising the work. However, he resigned from that committee because he was never heard. He was thus free to criticize those he regarded as iconoclasts and philistines who did not understand Poelaert’s genius. And he wasn’t about to let that opportunity pass him by.
The text, which was found in the archives of the Horta Museum, is now published in its entirety, accompanied by commentary to make it more understandable. The text is also accompanied by a series of reflections resulting from in-depth research, offering a fresh perspective on the building. The result is a detailed analysis of the architecture of the original building and the many transformations it underwent, highlighting the similarities between the Palace of Justice and Horta’s work. It also looks back at the international influence of the building, clones of which can still be found in South America today.
A photo report of the current state of the building records traces of the past and compares these with the succession of interventions that have been carried out in the building. Finally, a programmatic reflection on the judicial function of the Palace of Justice and a guideline for the recognition of the exceptional universal value of the building contribute to the debate on the future of the Palace in the context of the upcoming renovation. IN DUTCH
ISBN: 9782930391687
