Victor Bourgeois (29 August 1897 – 24 July 1962) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

architect and urban planner, considered the greatest Belgian modernist architect. Bourgeois was born in

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

and studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

from 1914 through 1918, and was mentored by

Henry van de Velde Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium.'' ...

. Together with his brother Pierre Bourgeois, he founded several magazines, including ''7 Arts'' (1922–1928). In 1927 Bourgeois became the only Belgian invited to design a house for the

Weissenhof Estate The Weissenhof Estate (German: Weißenhofsiedlung) is a housing estate built for the 1927 Deutscher Werkbund exhibition in Stuttgart, Germany. It was an international showcase of modern architecture's aspiration to provide cheap, simple, efficie ...

exhibition in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

, and the following year Bourgeois was a delegate to the first meeting of the

Congrès international d'architecture moderne A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...

and a founding member of that organization. He died on 24 July 1962 in

Ixelles ( French, ) or (Dutch, ), is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located to the south-east of Brussels' city centre, it is geographically bisected by the City of Brussels. It is also bordered by the muni ...

Cité Moderne

Bourgeois's first important architectural work was a group of houses in the Rue du Cubisme in

Koekelberg Koekelberg (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-western part of the region, it is bordered by Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Ganshoren, Jette and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. In common with all ...

(Brussels Region), showing the direct influence of the Dutch modernists. His largest project was built between 1922 and 1925 in

Sint-Agatha-Berchem Berchem-Sainte-Agathe ( French, ) or Sint-Agatha-Berchem (Dutch, ), often simply called Berchem, is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-western part of the region, it is bordered by Gansh ...

(Brussels Region) for a

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

for

social housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...

, the ''Cité moderne'' included 275 units. Each of them are oriented towards the sun, with a private garden, and were designed for low-cost construction with the use of reinforced concrete, an experimental technique at the time. The building style of the houses and small apartment houses was strictly unadorned, white with colored trim, with right angles and flat roofs, an early example of the modernist style. The entire district was planned by urban planner and landscape architect Louis Van der Swaelmen, intended to promote coexistence and solidarity between people, as well as provide for their safety. The names attributed to the streets and squares highlight these intentions: Foundation Street, Stewardship Street, Evolution Street, and Initiative Place. The project earned Bourgeois the Grand Prize at the

Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts (french: Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes) was a World's fair held in Paris, France, from April to October 1925. It was designed by the Fren ...

in 1925 and brought him international attention. Today it is said to be in poor condition and awaiting proper renovation. File:Belgique - Bruxelles - Cité Moderne - 01.jpg File:Belgique - Bruxelles - Cité Moderne - 03.jpg File:Belgique - Bruxelles - Cité Moderne - 07.jpg

Works

* Apartment building, Rue du Cubisme,

, 1922 * Cité Moderne, at

, 1922–1925 * Housing entry for the

, Stuttgart, 1927 * House and studio for the sculptor Oscar Jespers, Brussels, 1928 * Apartment buildings in Brussels, 1935 * Grand Palace, Leopold II Restaurant and Soprocol Pavilion, Brussels International Exposition, 1935 * Villa Le Jeannerie,

Sint-Genesius-Rode Sint-Genesius-Rode (; french: Rhode-Saint-Genèse, ) is a municipality located in Flanders, one of three regions of Belgium, in the province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the town of Sint-Genesius-Rode only, and lies between Brus ...

, 1936 * House Eliat, Avenue de l'Uruguay 5, at

, 1938 * Belgian Pavilion at the New York World's Fair, 1939, with

and Léon Stynen * Office des Comptes-Chèques Postaux, Brussels, 1937–1949 * Town Hall,

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

, 1954-1960 * Town Hall,

Nivelles Nivelles (; nl, Nijvel, ; wa, Nivele; vls, Neyvel) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. The Nivelles municipality includes the former municipalities of Baulers, Bornival, Thines, and Monstre ...

, 1954 * Eternit Tower and Germinal Pavilion at the

Expo 58 Expo 58, also known as the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (french: Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles de 1958, nl, Brusselse Wereldtentoonstelling van 1958), was a world's fair held on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Brussels, Bel ...

, Brussels, 1958 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bourgeois, Victor 1897 births 1962 deaths People from Charleroi 20th-century Belgian architects Modernist architects International style architects Burials at Ixelles Cemetery