(b Antwerp, 3 April 1863; d Zurich, 25 Oct 1957). Belgian designer, architect, painter and writer. He was one of the leading figures in the creation of ART NOUVEAU in the 1890s.
See the Abbreviations for further details.
Henry van de Velde
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Henry van de Velde (1863-1957), Belgian painter, designer, architect, and writer, was the chief theoretician of Art Nouveau, champion of the applied arts, and prominent in developing a new architectural expression in Europe in the early 20th century.
Henry van de Velde was born on April 3, 1863, in Antwerp, the son of an apothecary. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts there (1881-1884) and then with E. A. Carolus-Duran in Paris (1884-1885). In 1889 he joined a group of artists known as Les XX in Brussels and, with the publication of his lecture Déblaiement d'art (1894), emerged as the group's spokesman.
Influenced by the theories of William Morris and the English Arts and Crafts movement, Van de Velde abandoned painting and turned his attention to architecture and the applied arts. The building of his own house, Bloemenwerf, at Uccle near Brussels (1895) marked the beginning of his new career. For this house he designed all the furniture and appointments.
Van de Velde moved to Germany in 1900. He built the School of Applied Arts in Weimar (1904-1906), the predecessor of the Bauhaus, and was its director until World War I. He designed the Theater Building (1914; destroyed) at the exhibition of the Werkbund, or German association of architects and designers, held at Cologne. Throughout this period he was also busy designing a wide variety of useful objects, from bookbindings to earrings, dresses, ceramics, tableware, and furniture, all in the curvilinear forms of Art Nouveau, and theorizing about the role of the applied arts in a series of publications such as Die Renaissance im modernen Kunstgewerbe (1901), Kunstgewerbliche Laienpredigten (1902), and Der neue Stil (1907).
From 1917 on Van de Velde lived in Belgium, Holland, and Switzerland. From 1926 to 1936 he was the director of the Institute Supérieur des Arts Décoratifs in Brussels and professor of architecture at the University of Ghent, for which he designed the library (1936). Other important commissions from this period include the Kröller-Müller Museum at Otterlo, Netherlands (1937-1953), and the Belgian pavilions for the World's Fair in Paris (1937) and in New York (1939). He spent the last decade of his life in retirement at Oberägeri, Switzerland, where he wrote his memoirs. He died in Zurich on Oct. 27, 1957.
Further Reading
Van de Velde's memoirs were published in German in 1962. None of his writings has been translated. The basic studies of his life and work are in French and German. The only extensive discussion of his work in English is found in the error-riddled chapters devoted to him in Henry F. Lenning, The Art Nouveau (1951). His contribution to the development of 20th-century design is discussed in Nikolaus Pevsner, Pioneers of Modern Design (1936; rev. ed. 1960), and Peter Selz and Mildred Constantine, eds., Art Nouveau (1959).
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| Henry van de Velde | |
 Chemnitz, Germany: Villa Esche |
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Name | Henry van de Velde |
| Nationality | Belgian, |
| Birth date | 3 April 1863 |
| Birth place | Antwerp, Belgium |
| Date of death | 25 October 1957 (aged 94) |
| Place of death | Oberägeri, Switzerland |
| Work | |
| Buildings | House "Bloemenwerf" in Ukkel (1895) Kunstgewerbeschule Weimar (1907) Werkbund Theatre in Köln (1914) Universit Library with "Boekentoren" in Ghent (1933) |
Henry Van de Velde (Dutch pronunciation: [ɑ̃ˈʁi vɑndəˈvɛldə]) (3 April 1863 – 25 October 1957[1][2]) was a Belgian painter, architect and interior designer. Together with Victor Horta he could be considered one of the main founders and representatives of Art Nouveau in Belgium. Van de Velde spent the most important part of his career in Germany 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 under Carolus-Duran. As a young painter he was thoroughly influenced by Paul Signac and Georges Seurat and soon adopted a neo-impressionist style. In 1889 he became a member of the Brussels-based artist group "Les XX". After Vincent Van Gogh exhibited some work on the yearly exhibition of Les XX van de Velde became one of the first artists to be influenced by the Dutch painter. During this period he developed a lasting friendship with the painter Théo van Rysselberghe and the sculptor Constantin Meunier.
In 1892 he abandoned painting, devoting his time to arts of decoration and interior design. His own house, Bloemenwerf in Uccle, was his first attempt at architecture, and was inspired by the British and American Arts and Crafts Movement. He also designed interiors and furniture for the influential art gallery "L'Art Nouveau" of Samuel Bing in Paris in 1895. This gave the movement its first designation as Art 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 in Hagen (today the building houses the Karl 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 in Weimar, the predecessor of the Bauhausschool which would replace the School of Arts and Crafts after World War I, under the new director Walter Gropius.
Although a Belgian, van De Velde would play an important role in the German Werkbund, an 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 the Weimar Republic, and returned to his native Belgium. He was later instrumental in founding another school, this time in Brussels, La Cambre. He continued his practice in architecture and design, which had demarcated itself significantly from the Art Nouveau phase, whose popularity was by 1910 in decline. During this period, he mentored the great Belgian architect, Victor Bourgeois.
During World War I, he lived in Switzerland and in the Netherlands where he designed the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo. From 1926 to 1936, Van de Velde was professor at Ghent University, where he became the architect of the university library (the so-called Boekentoren or Book Tower).
Selected works
- 1895-1896: "Bloemenwerf", Van de Velde's first private residence, in Ukkel, Belgium
- 1895: Interior decoration of Samuel Bing's art Gallert "Maison de l'art nouveau" in Paris
- 1900–1902: Interior of the Folkwang Museum in Hagen, Germany
- 1902–1903, 1911 (extension): "Villa Esche" in Chemnitz, Germany
- 1903: Extension and interior decoration of the Nietzsche Archive in Weimar, Germany
- 1906–1907: Clubhouse of the "Chemnitzer Lawn-Tennis-Club" in Chemnitz (demolished)
- 1907–1908: "Hohenhof", Mansion for Karl Ernst Osthaus in Hagen, Germany
- 1907–1908: "Haus Hohe Pappeln", Van de Velde's private residence in Weimar, Germany
- 1909–1911: "Ernst-Abbe-Denkmal", Memorial for Ernst Abbe in Jena (in collaboration with the sculptors Max Klinger and Constantin Meunier)
- 1912–1913: Palace for Graf Dürckheim in Weimar, Germany
- 1913–1914: "Werkbund-Theater", Theatre at the Deutsche Werkbund exhibition in Cologne, Germany
- 1913–1914: "Villa Schulenburg" in Gera, Germany
- 1913–1914: Wohnhaus für den Fabrikanten Dr. Theo Koerner in Chemnitz
- 1927-1928: "La Nouvelle Maison", Van de Velde's private residence in Tervuren, Belgium
- 1929–1931: Home for the elderly of the 'Minna und James Heinemann-Stiftung' in Hannover, Germany
- 1933-1938: Library of Ghent University with "Boekentoren" in Ghent, Belgium
- 1936: Logo of the NMBS/SNCB
- 1936-1942: "Technische School", School building in Leuven, Belgium
- 1937: Belgian Pavilion on the Paris World Fair of 1937
 Villa Esche, Chemnitz |
 Villa Esche, Chemnitz |
 Villa Esche, Chemnitz, Garage |
 Villa Hohenhof in Hagen |
 Villa Hohenhof in Hagen |
 Villa Schulenburg in Gera |
 "Boekentoren" of Ghent University |
 Staircase of the Sanatorium of Trzebiechów |
 Staircase of the Sanatorium of Trzebiechów |
 Monument for Frédéric de Mérode in Brussels |
 Dinner-service in Meissen porcelain and silver cutlery designed by Van de Velde |
|
 Cover design of the 1908 Insel edition of Friedrich Nietzsche's Ecce Homo |
 Main building of the Bauhaus-University in Weimar |
.jpg) Van-de-Velde-Building in Weimar, home of the art faculty of the Bauhaus-University |
References
- ^ "Velde, Henry van de". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2007. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9074970/Henry-van-de-Velde. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
- ^ the 15 October 1957 is given as well
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Henry van de Velde |
- Website of the 'Villa Esche' in Chemnitz: www.villaesche.de
- Replicas of Henry van de Velde furniture on www.henry-van-de-velde.com
- Website on Henry van de Velde's 'Villa Koerner' in Chemnitz (in German): www.villa-koerner.com
- Villa "De Zeemeeuw" in Scheveningen, (in Dutch): www.witteburgpark.nl
- Van de Velde chronological biography
- Boekentoren Belvédère in 360°
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