Pierre Bonnefille
01 - 20 September 2021
Musée Horta
25 rue Américaine,
1060 Bruxelles, Belgique
At the same time as the first edition of COLLECTIBLE Brussels’ design fair, the Horta Museum has invited Pierre Bonnefille to exhibit a series of paintings that will converse with the work of Victor Horta.
The great Art Nouveau architect’s home and the works of the French artist share a mutual interest in the play of light and shadow, textures, color and space inspired by mineral and plant motifs.
“It seems only natural to be showing the works of Pierre Bonnefille here in the Horta Museum. Over the last few years, we have decided to invite representatives of artistic professions because, over time, our visitors have begun to show a growing interest in the virtuosity of the craftsmen who
worked with Horta in his houses, which are a total work of art.
Welcoming today those who take the noble professions of artists and craftsmen to the highest level of excellence, who bring new life into the museum and entice visitors away, from what is often a form of nostalgic contemplation. Pierre Bonnefille’s creations gather light in the hollows of their materials and give rise to an infinite array of fleeting emotions, rather like those we feel when we see an untouched landscape, a forest, the white waters of a river or a vast, calm lake. From one moment to another, the changing light transforms our perception.
In his houses, Horta wanted to create “interior landscapes” with effects of shadow and light that changed depending on the season and which stained glass windows infused with a multitude of colors. Brief sparkles of light illuminate this atmosphere thanks to the beveled edges of mirrors and gilt moldings. I was captivated by the intimate similarities between the works of Horta and Pierre Bonnefille, similarities which are expressed in their common desire to capture light, whilst knowing how to leave it entirely free to express itself.”
Françoise Aubry, curator of Horta Museum