kids encyclopedia robot

Henry van de Velde facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Henry Clemens van de Velde
Henry van de Velde S.jpg
Henry van de Velde; portrait by
Nicola Perscheid (1904)
Born (1863-04-03)3 April 1863
Antwerp, Belgium
Died 15 October 1957(1957-10-15) (aged 94)
Oberägeri, Switzerland
Occupation Architect
Spouse(s)
Maria Sèthe
​
​
(m. 1894)​
Buildings House "Bloemenwerf" in Uccle (1895)

Kunstgewerbeschule Weimar (1907)
Deutsche Werkbund Theatre in Cologne (1914)

University Library with "Boekentoren" in Ghent (1933)
Projects Boekentoren
Ugent boekentoren 675
Ghent, Belgium: The famous Boekentoren (Book Tower) of Ghent University.

Henry Clemens van de Velde (born April 3, 1863 – died October 15, 1957) was a famous Belgian artist. He was a painter, architect, and interior designer. He also wrote about art.

Henry van de Velde helped start the Art Nouveau style in Belgium. This was a new art movement. He worked in Paris with Samuel Bing, who opened the first Art Nouveau gallery. Later, Van de Velde spent most of his career in Germany. He became a key figure in the German Art Nouveau style, called Jugendstil. He had a big impact on German buildings and design in the early 1900s.

Early Life and Art

Henry van de Velde was born in Antwerp, Belgium. He studied painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Later, he continued his art studies in Paris.

As a young painter, he was inspired by artists like Paul Signac and Georges Seurat. He started painting in a style called neo-impressionism, using small dots of color. This style is also known as pointillism. In 1889, he joined an artist group in Brussels called "Les XX".

Van de Velde was one of the first artists to be influenced by Vincent van Gogh. This happened after Van Gogh showed his work at an exhibition. During this time, Henry van de Velde became good friends with painter Théo van Rysselberghe. He also befriended the sculptor Constantin Meunier.

A New Path in Design

In 1892, Henry van de Velde stopped painting. He decided to focus on decorative arts and interior design. This included designing silverware, china, and even fashion. Meeting Maria Sèthe, who later became his wife, was important for this change. They worked together on many projects. These included designing wallpapers and women's clothing.

Their first home, Bloemenwerf in Uccle, was Van de Velde's first attempt at architecture. It was inspired by the British Arts and Crafts movement. The outside of their house looked a lot like the Red House designed by William Morris. Maria Sèthe designed the garden around their home.

Henry van de Velde also designed furniture and interiors for Samuel Bing's art gallery in Paris. This gallery was called "L'Art Nouveau," and it gave the Art Nouveau style its name. Van de Velde showed his own work at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1900.

Van de Velde was greatly influenced by the English Arts and Crafts movement. He was one of the first designers to use curved, abstract lines in his work. These lines were not based on nature, but on pure design.

Impact in Germany

Van de Velde's designs became well-known in Germany. He started getting requests for interior designs in Berlin. Around 1900, he designed Villa Leuring in the Netherlands. He also designed Villa Esche in Chemnitz, Germany. These buildings show his Art Nouveau style in architecture. He also designed the inside of the Folkwang Museum in Hagen. Today, this building is the Karl Ernst Osthaus-Museum. He also worked on the Nietzsche Archive in Weimar.

In 1899, he moved to Weimar, Germany. There, he became an art advisor to the Grand Duke. In 1907, he started the Grand-Ducal School of Arts and Crafts. He designed the school's building and was its first director. He left during World War I because he was Belgian. He suggested that architect Walter Gropius take his place. In 1919, this school joined with another art academy. Together, they formed the famous Bauhaus art school.

Even though he was Belgian, Van de Velde played a very important role in German design.

In 1907, he helped create the German Werkbund. This group worked to improve German design. It connected industry with designers. At a Werkbund meeting in 1914, Van de Velde had a famous debate. He argued that artists should keep their unique style. Another designer, Hermann Muthesius, argued for using standard designs. Van de Velde believed that design should be logical, like engineering.

During World War I, Van de Velde had to leave Weimar. He returned to Belgium. Later, he lived in Switzerland and the Netherlands. There, he designed the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo. In 1925, he became a professor at Ghent University. He taught architecture and applied arts there until 1936. In 1926, he helped found a famous art school in Brussels called "Institut supérieur des Arts décoratifs" (now La Cambre).

Later Works and Modernism

Henry van de Velde continued his work in architecture and design. His style changed from Art Nouveau, which became less popular around 1910. During this time, he guided the great Belgian architect, Victor Bourgeois.

In 1933, he was asked to design a new building for the Ghent University library. This building is known as the Boekentoren (Book Tower). Construction started in 1936. However, it was not finished until after the Second World War. The final building was a bit different from his original plans due to budget reasons. For example, the reading room floor was made of marble, not the black rubber he wanted. He also helped build the Ghent University Hospital.

Henry van de Velde died in Zürich, Switzerland, when he was 94 years old.

Selected Works

Henry van de Velde - Chair - 1895
Chair designed for his house "Bloemenwerf", 1895

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Henry van de Velde para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Henry van de Velde Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.