- Henry van de Velde
Infobox Architect
name=Henry van de Velde
nationality=Belgian,
birth_date=birth date|1863|4|3
birth_place=Antwerp ,Belgium
death_date=death date and age|1957|10|25|1863|4|3
death_place=Oberägeri ,Switzerland
practice_name=
significant_buildings=House "Bloemenwerf" inUkkel (1895)
KunstgewerbeschuleWeimar (1907)Werkbund Theatre inKöln (1914)Universit Library with "Boekentoren " inGhent (1933)
significant_projects=
awards=Henry Van de Velde (
3 April 1863 –25 October 1957 [cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |title=Velde, Henry van de |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9074970/Henry-van-de-Velde |accessdate=2007-09-25 |year=2007 |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc ] [the15 October 1957 is given as well] ) was a Belgian painter, architect and interior designer. Together withVictor Horta he can be considered one of the main founders and representatives ofArt Nouveau in Belgium. Van de Velde spent the most important part of his career inGermany and had a decisive influence on German architecture and design at the beginning of the 20th-century.Van de Velde studied painting in Antwerp, under
Charles Verlat and in Paris underCarolus-Duran . As a young painter he was thoroughly influenced byPaul Signac andGeorges Seurat and soon adopted a neo-impressionist style. In 1889 he became a member of the Brussels-based artist group "Les XX ". AfterVincent Van Gogh exhibited some work on the yearly exhibition ofLes XX van de Velde became one of the first artists to be influenced by the Dutch painter. During this periode he developed a lasting friendship with the painterThéo van Rysselberghe and the sculptorConstantin Meunier .In 1892 he abandoned painting and devoted himself to decoration and interior design. His own house, "Bloemenwerf" in
Uccle , was his first attempt at architecture, and was inspired by the British and AmericanArts and Crafts Movement . He also designed interiors and furniture for the influential art gallery "L'Art Nouveau" ofSamuel Bing inParis in 1895. This gave the movement its first designation asArt Nouveau .Van de Velde's design work received good exposure in Germany, through periodicals like Innen-Dekoration, and subsequently he received commissions for interior designs in Berlin. Around the turn of the century, he also designed Villa Leuring in the Netherlands, and Villa Esche in Chemnitz, two works that show his Art Nouveau style in architecture. He also designed the interior of the
Folkwang Museum inHagen (today the building houses theKarl Ernst Osthaus-Museum . In 1905 he was called upon by the Grand Duke of Weimar to establish the Grand-Ducal School of Arts and Crafts inWeimar , the predecessor of theBauhaus school which would replace the School of Arts and Crafts after World War I, under the new directorWalter Gropius .Van de Velde, although a Belgian, would play an important role in the German Werkbund, the association founded to help improve and promote German design by establishing close relations between industry and designers. He would oppose
Hermann Muthesius at the Werkbund meeting of 1914 and their debate would mark the history of Modern Architecture. Van de Velde called for the upholding of the individuality of artists while Hermann Muthesius called for standardization as a key to development.During World War I, van de Velde left Weimar back to Belgium. He was later instrumental in founding another school,
La Cambre in Brussels. He continued his practice in architecture and design, which had significantly demarcated itself from the Art Nouveau phase, which lost all its popularity by 1910. In this period he mentored the great Belgian architectVictor Bourgeois .During
World War I , he lived inSwitzerland and in theNetherlands where he designed theKröller-Müller Museum inOtterlo . From 1926 to 1936, Van de Velde was professor atGhent University , where he became the architect of the university library (the so-calledBoekentoren or Book Tower).Works
a selection:
* 1895-1896: "Bloemenwerf", Van de Velde's first private residence, in
Ukkel ,Belgium
* 1895: Interior decoration ofSamuel Bing 's art Gallert "Maison de l'art nouveau" inParis
* 1900–1902: Interior of theFolkwang Museum inHagen ,Germany
* 1902–1903, 1911 (extension): "Villa Esche" inChemnitz ,Germany
* 1903: Extension and interior decoration of theNietzsche Archive inWeimar ,Germany
* 1906–1907: Clubhouse of the "Chemnitzer Lawn-Tennis-Club" inChemnitz (demolished)
* 1907–1908: "Hohenhof", Mansion for Karl Ernst Osthaus inHagen ,Germany
* 1907–1908: "Haus Hohe Pappeln", Van de Velde's private residence inWeimar ,Germany
* 1909–1911: "Ernst-Abbe-Denkmal", Memorial forErnst Abbe inJena (in collaboration with the sculptorsMax Klinger andConstantin Meunier )
* 1912–1913: Palace for Graf Dürckheim inWeimar ,Germany
* 1913–1914: "Werkbund-Theater", Theatre at the Deutsche Werkbund exhibition inCologne ,Germany
* 1913–1914: "Villa Schulenburg" inGera ,Germany
* 1913–1914: Wohnhaus für den Fabrikanten Dr. Theo Koerner in Chemnitz
* 1927-1928: "La Nouvelle Maison", Van de Velde's private residence inTervuren ,Belgium
* 1929–1931: Home for the elderly of the 'Minna und James Heinemann-Stiftung' inHannover ,Germany
* 1933-1938: Library ofGhent University with "Boekentoren " inGhent ,Belgium
* 1936: Logo of theNMBS /SNCB
* 1936-1942: "Technische School", School building inLeuven ,Belgium
* 1937: Belgian Pavilion on the ParisWorld Fair of 1937External links
* [http://www.villaesche.de/ Website of the 'Villa Esche' in Chemnitz: www.villaesche.de]
* [http://www.henry-van-de-velde.com/ Replicas of Henry van de Velde furniture on www.henry-van-de-velde.com]
* [http://www.villa-koerner.com/ Website on Henry van de Velde's 'Villa Koerner' in Chemnitz (in German): www.villa-koerner.com]
* [http://www.wittebrugpark.nl/wittebrugpark/wagenaarweg/ww30.htm Villa "De Zeemeeuw" in Scheveningen, (in Dutch): www.witteburgpark.nl]
* [http://www.henry-van-de-velde.com/2/Van_de_Velde_facts.htm Van de Velde chronological biography]
* [http://www.visoog.be/viewer.php?lang=dut&hotspot=27 Boekentoren Belvédère in 360°]References
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