Preserving an Art Nouveau icon: Horta Museum launches €800,000 restoration programme

The Horta Museum, former home and studio designed by pioneering Brussels architect Victor Horta, is entering a new phase of extensive renovation in a programme combining restoration, refurbishment and renewal.

Conservation and restoration works have already been under way at the Unesco world heritage site in Saint-Gilles for more than two years.

As part of this wide-ranging project, several pieces of furniture designed by Horta himself have been restored, including the velvet upholstery of the chairs (pictured).

Backed by a €800,000 investment from the municipality of Saint-Gilles and the Baillet-Latour Fund, private partners and the museum’s own resources, the project is now entering a new phase.

While the first stage is aimed at safeguarding the Art Nouveau treasure against aging and structural challenges, the second will concentrate on opening the garden to the public and reorganising the studio spaces. “This ambitious project is part of a long-term strategic vision that goes beyond routine maintenance,” the museum says.

Renovation works addressing structural urgencies have also been carried out on the museum’s façades, with particular attention paid to restoring historic colours, materials and finishes through stratigraphic studies and traditional techniques (pictured).

Inside the museum in Rue Américaine, restoration focuses on the dining room (pictured) and veranda, including bas-reliefs, marble, mosaics, woodwork and furniture. The bas-reliefs by Pieter Braecke, covered up in the 1970s, are gradually being revealed, while the veranda is being restored as an exhibition space for Horta’s Japanese and Chinese art collections.

The project combines the preservation of the architect and designer’s legacy with improvements to the visitor experience, including a new reception area designed in the museum’s modern extension by architecture firm Bureau Nord.

The first phase of the restoration is scheduled for completion in November 2026, while the second is planned for 2029.

Throughout the works, the museum will offer behind-the-scenes insights into the restoration process, highlighting the challenges and expertise involved in heritage conservation. Mediation tools such as explanatory displays will be installed on the façades and in the affected spaces and guided tours will also contribute to detailing and explaining the meticulous processes.

Photos: Horta Museum ©Maxime Delvaux; ©Horta Museum; Horta Museum; Facade restoration 2026 ©Antoine Grenez; ©Horta Museum