The application of art

The application of arts in architecture is experiencing a significant revival. While some works form an integral part of the architecture, others appear added on like a fancy brooch brightening up a plain garment. Many creations remain figurative but are stylised, whereas others venture into abstraction with tormented or geometric lines, often marked by the dynamic of the 58 Style.
Painting by Denise Goffin, 1962, entrance hall, Avenue Gabriel-Émile Lebon 35, Auderghem, architect Georges De Hens, 1960.
Concrete sculpture by Frans Lamberechts, Avenue Coghen 244, Uccle, architect Josse Franssen, building designed in 1952, built between 1953 and 1955.
Metal relief, former reception hall of the Chant d’Oiseau school, Avenue des Frères Legrain 98, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, architect Robert Thoelen, 1957.
Mosaic by the A. Leunen company, Place du Roi Vainqueur 11, Etterbeek, architect Paul Posno and J. Schmidt, 1956.

The Guérin workshops from Bouffioulx create architectural stoneware recognisable by its granular textures, gradation effects and amusing figurative designs.
Avenue Albert Decoster 9, Anderlecht, architect J. Van Laethem, 1959.
Avenue Albert Decoster 9, Anderlecht, architect J. Van Laethem, 1959.
Stoneware composition designed in 1963 by the designer Weber, Ecole des Éburons, Rue John Waterloo Wilson 39, Brussels-Eastern Extension.
Archives of the City of Brussels.

Stained glass framed in concrete experiences a remarkable boom in the 1950s. Used both in churches and in housing, this true bas-relief of light differs from traditional stained glass by the richness of its relief and its textures.
Stained glass window by Marc Van Hove, Church of the Resurrection, Rue Paloke, Molenbeek, ca. 1965.
Stained glass window by Guy Chabrol, Avenue de Sumatra 32, Uccle, ca. 1960.
Exterior side of a stained glass window by René Mels, Avenue des Martinets 36, Auderghem, ca .1966.
Interior side of a stained glass window by René Mels, Avenue des Martinets 36, Auderghem, ca. 1966.