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Tues-Sun 2-5.30pm; ?4.95. Tram #91, #92 . The Musee Victor Horta , just off the chaussee de Charleroi at rue Americaine 23 & 25, occupies the two houses Horta designed as his home and studio at the end of the nineteenth century, and was where he lived until 1919. The only Horta house fully open to the public, the museum was opened in the late 1960s, part of a sustained campaign to stop the destruction of Brussels' architectural heritage and to publicise the charms of Art Nouveau. From the outside the building is quite modest, a dark, narrow terraced house with a fluid facade and almost casually knotted and twisted ironwork, but it is for his interiors that Horta is especially famous. Inside is a sunny, sensuous dwelling exhibiting all the architect's favourite flourishes - wide, bright rooms spiralling around a superbly worked staircase, wrought iron, stained glass, sculpture and ornate furniture, plus panelling made from several different types of wood. The dining room is superb, an inventive blend of white enamelled brickwork and exposed structural metal arches on a parquet floor. Lining the walls are six bas-reliefs carved by Pierre Braecke, five of which portray the arts depicted by the muses above the dresser: painting, music, sculpture, literature, and architecture - with the sixth holding out a model of the Aubecq mansion, built by Horta in 1899 and demolished in 1950. The staircase is simply stunning too, a dainty spiralling affair which runs through the centre of the house up to the skylight, ensuring the house gets as much light as possible. Decorated with painted motifs and surrounded by mirrors, it remains one of Horta's most ingenious creations. Also of interest is the modest but enjoyable selection of paintings , many of which were given to Horta by friends and colleagues, including works by Felicien Rops and Joseph Heymans.
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