The lesson of the Palais de Justice - In an unpublished text, Victor Horta makes himself
the lawyer of the Palais de Justice and its architect Joseph Poelaert. Shocked by
the modifications made to the building since its inauguration in 1883,
modifications which, according to him, do not respect the architectural project in any way
Poelaert's initial, he defends the building. However, he was a member
of the Commission responsible for monitoring the work but, having never been heard,
he resigned from it. He is now free to criticize those he
considered as iconoclasts and philistines who have understood nothing about
genius of Poelaert; and he is not going to deprive himself of it. \n \nThis text, found in
the archives of the Horta Museum, is now published in its entirety and
accompanied by comments intended to facilitate understanding. It is in
also framed by a set of reflections, fruits of in-depth research which
renew the reading of the building. The following are thus proposed: a detailed analysis
of the architecture of the original building as well as its many
transformations, a highlighting of the similarities between the Palais de Justice
and the work of Horta, and a look back at the international influence of the building,
clones of which can still be found in South America today. In addition,
A contemporary photographic commission captures traces of the past and the
confronted with the succession of interventions made on the building.
\nFinally, a programmatic reflection on the future of the judicial function
in the Palace of Justice and an orientation for the recognition of its value
exceptional universal aims to contribute to the debate on the future of
building as part of its upcoming renovation.
