Brussels: Palais Stoclet

1905 – 1911

Architect: Josef Hoffmann

Avenue de Tervueren 275-282, Brussels, Belgium

The Palais Stoclet, built from 1905 to 1911, is a villa in the style of the Viennese Secession located in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre in the Brussels-Capital Region.

Josef Hoffmann designed the building. Gustav Klimt created the famous Stoclet frieze in the villa’s dining room.

The house and garden were completed in 1911.

The strict geometry of the architecture marked a turning point in Art Nouveau, foreshadowing the Art Deco style.

Background

In 1905, banker and art collector Adolphe Stoclet commissioned this house from Josef Hoffmann, one of the leading architects of the Vienna Secession. Stoclet made no design or financial restrictions.

Stoclet was a wealthy entrepreneur and the son of Victor Stoclet and Anne Kitty.

Stoclet was born in Brussels in 1871 to a family of wealthy bankers and civil engineers.

Contrary to his family’s wishes, he married Suzanne Stevens, the daughter of a Parisian art dealer, and they had three children.

As an engineer, Stoclet devoted himself to railroad construction, which brought him to Vienna, where he participated in the construction of the Aspang Railway.

The Stoclets soon began socializing in Vienna’s artistic circles, particularly with the Secessionists.

Josef Hoffmann

Adolphe Stoclet commissioned Josef Hoffmann and the Wiener Werkstätte, which was responsible for the artistic design, to create a total work of art. Hoffmann was initially busy with the construction of the Purkersdorf sanatorium near Vienna.

Numerous other artists were involved in the extensive overall concept, including Klimt, Carl Otto Czeschka, Ludwig Heinrich Jungnickel, Emilie Schleiss-Simandl, Richard Luksch, Elena Luksch-Makowsky, and Franz Metzner.

Extremely precious materials were used for the execution of the Palais Stoclet, such as Norwegian Turilim marble for the exterior walls and yellow-brown Italian Paonazzo marble for the interior walls.

Total Work of Art

Belgian artist George Minne designed sculptures for the interiors, and Fernand Khnopff created colorful drawings for the music room.

Gustav Klimt collaborated with Leopold Forstner‘s mosaic workshop to create the Stoclet Frieze, which is now displayed in the palace’s dining room.

Klimt created the initial sketches in 1905 but later revised his concept, drawing the final transfer designs at his summer residence on Lake Attersee in 1908. These designs are now housed in the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna.

In 1909, Forstner’s workshop began testing material samples for the transfer.

In 1911, Klimt was present when his design was transferred to the dining room walls at Palais Stoclet.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Since June 2009, the Palais Stoclet has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. It remains privately owned and is not open to the public.