A Celebration of Heritage, Style, and Civic Dialogue
These pictures were taken during the visit of “Garden Tales” project by CIVA.
In 2025, Art Deco is stepping back into the spotlight in Brussels! The Brussels-Capital Region has officially declared this year as the Year of Art Deco. The 1920s and 1930s’ artistic movement of Art Deco became a part of an engaging program in the capital’s most beautiful Art Deco buildings.
Art Deco is characterized by bold geometric shapes, symmetrical patterns, and vibrant contrasts, and often enhanced with luxurious accents of gold or silver. In Brussels, this modern elegance found its architectural home in landmark buildings like the Palais des Beaux-Arts (1922–1929), designed by Victor Horta. His work paved the way for a wave of Art Deco-inspired mansions, bourgeois homes, and apartment blocks, positioning Brussels as a European capital of Art Deco.
In 2025, the city is celebrating this rich legacy through a year-long program of exhibitions, guided tours, lectures, and public events. This initiative is led by visit.brussels and urban.brussels, with an aim of celebrating aesthetic beauty and inviting reflection on the social values and tensions of the interwar period.
The initiative explores how Art Deco engaged with the civic issues of its time, between moral liberation and looming economic, social, and geopolitical crises. These reflections are particularly relevant today, as we face global challenges around sustainability, social justice, decolonization of knowledge and the arts, and intergenerational dialogue.
As you walk through the streets of Brussels, you may pass by these architectural gems without even noticing them. 2025 is the perfect moment to slow down, look up, and reconnect with the city’s artistic DNA.
These pictures were taken during the visit which was part of the BANAD Festival.
📌 Tip: Keep an eye on the official program and let Art Deco surprise you again or for the very first time!
Resources:
https://urban.brussels/en/articles/art-deco-brussels-2025
https://www.visit.brussels/en/professionals/event-details.ART-DECO-2025.5700005917
https://www.brusselstimes.com/1414805/brussels-dedicates-2025-to-100-years-of-art-deco