BRUSSELS.- Great news for Belgian and foreign Art Nouveau enthusiasts: since June 1, 2023, the legendary Maison Hannon located at the junction of Avenue Brugmann and Avenue Jonction (Saint- Gilles) has been reborn as a "house-museum” under the name Maison Hannon. A place in perpetual motion. This new Art Nouveau architectural and museal centre will strengthen the cultural and tourist offer of this district in the upper part of Brussels, in a duo formula with the Horta Museum.

The first phase of restoration is now complete: the ground floor, which faithfully recreates the world of the Hannons, and the first floor, a temporary exhibition space. The façade has also been restored. However, these renovations mark the first phase of a much larger project. Further phases of restoration will follow, and the public will be invited to take part in conferences, tours, meetings with craftsmen and crowdfunding campaigns. A unique and pertinent opportunity to understand a long process whose mission is to restore to its original splendor one of the icons of the style invented in Brussels.

A TEMPORARY EXHIBITION ON THE FIRST FLOOR

Each year, the Maison Hannon will organize a temporary exhibition in line with its DNA: art in Belgium and France; symbolism. The intention is to offer to the visitors cross-disciplinary exhibitions of art and history, focusing on the period around 1900. Academic research will be associated with each exhibition.

To mark its opening, the Maison Hannon is unveiling an inaugural high-profile temporary exhibition on the first floor, from June 1, 2023, to June 5 2024, Belgian Art Nouveau. In 1900, with the Industrial Revolution in full swing, Brussels was the experimental ground for a subversive style: Art Nouveau. A style? No, a state of mind and an insatiable faith in modernity.

While Victor Horta targeted a wealthy clientele, Paul Hankar, Henry van de Velde, Gustave Serrurier-Bovy and others worked together to invent a modern way of life, simpler and more uncluttered, with the aim of spreading it far and wide. Through this committed approach, they set out to be agents of change, laying the foundations for a first modernity that would set an example for others to follow.

With this first exhibition, the Maison Hannon aims to present Belgian Art Nouveau in all its plurality, through a wide variety of works from public and private collections, many of which have never been seen before.

RECONSTITUTION OF THE MAISON HANNON ON THE GROUND FLOOR

In collaboration with the Musée des Arts décoratifs de Paris, the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims, the Musée de l'École de Nancy and private collectors, Maison Hannon presents a ground-floor reconstitution of this historic site, faithful to its original state.

This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of the Hannons, and to gain a true understanding of their home through a restitution of the rooms as they were in their day: furniture, works of art, photographs and original decorative objects take place in their original home, allowing visitors to question and understand the personal choices of the former owners.

To achieve this, each piece and support was the subject of meticulous, in-depth research. This is particularly true for the fabrics used in the salon, which have been reconstructed with the help of photos and invoices detailing the composition of the textiles. They were then rewoven in France, by Maison Prelle (Paris, Lyon). The aim was to restore the right shade of color and faithfully respect the materials, in dialogue with the inlaid furniture from the Établissements Émile Gallé.

Through the choice of scenography, visitors will immediately see what belonged to the house and what is an addition or interpretation.

STATE-OF-THE-ART SCENOGRAPHY

One of the main challenges of the Maison Hannon's new redeployment was the development of its scenography. From the beginning, the main objective was to respect the house while creating a contemporary installation that was neither too neutral nor too silent. As a house-museum that also hosts a cycle of temporary exhibitions, it was essential to retain the intimate atmosphere of a house, while at the same time giving it contemporary, modular spaces.

This mission was entrusted to architect Aslı Çiçek, best known for her projects at Bozar as part of Europalia (2020). The challenge was brilliantly met, as the Brussels-based Turkish architect succeeded in developing a scenography that maintains a healthy, elegant balance with the dominant Art Nouveau look, without competing with it.

The fully modular scenography highlights the house and uses the museum as a sophisticated backdrop. There are a few nods to Art Nouveau, notably in the typology of the furniture, without reproducing its aesthetic.

For example, one challenge was to reassemble the exhibits on pedestals without distorting the perspective or obscuring the view of the wooden floors. Aslı Çiçek and her team (Olivia de Bree and Maxime Descheemaecker) imagined the creation of transparent constructions in acrylic sheets and steel structures, executed by Chloroform. The result is a new materiality for the spaces.

"The Maison Hannon represents a new place, a new jewel to add to the city's heritage. Living in Brussels since 2005 and in my capacity as an architect, being able to visit this house is particularly touching." Aslı Çiçek

The architect was appointed with the support of the architecture unit of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.