Jusqu’au 30 juin 2025, l’opulence et la beauté du textile s’exposent au Musée Horta à Bruxelles. Quatre grands concepteurs – Louisa Carmona, Flore&Pauline Fockedey, Elise Peroi et Marc Van Hoe – s’emparent de la beauté et de la chaleur du velours. Marc Van Hoe nous guide à travers tant de splendeur.
–Jules Gevaert
Victor Horta, a key figure in Art Nouveau, brought lightness and joy to early 20th-century architecture, reflecting the flourishing economy. His home and office, now the Horta Museum in Brussels, showcase his style and philosophy.
The new exhibition « Comme sur du velours » by Marc Van Hoe, features green silk walls and undoubled linen velvet curtains, highlighting Horta’s love for textiles.
Art ou artisanat ?
Marc Van Hoe bridges the gap between art and craftsmanship, elevating everyday items like tablecloths and curtains to art.
He emphasizes the artistic side of textiles, aligning with Victor Horta’s philosophy. Van Hoe’s work with velvet and moiré, requiring skilled craftsmanship, is showcased in collaboration with Van Neder, a Belgian semi-artisanal velvet weaving factory.
« J’APPRÉCIERAIS PARTICULIÈREMENT QUE LES DESIGNERS AUTOMOBILES CONÇOIVENT, POUR UN NOUVEAU MODÈLE DE VOITURE, UNE BELLE GARNITURE INTÉRIEURE EN VELOURS DOUX. »
Un processus d’apprentissage permanent
Marc Van Hoe has always sought to learn and overcome new challenges in textile creation. He pursued technical training to understand weaving techniques, studied at the Academy of Kortrijk, and learned from experts like Pierre Daquin. Van Hoe’s work spans commercial and artistic textiles, blending craftsmanship and art, and he remains active in various fields, including interior textiles and jacquard fabric design.
Matière royale
Marc Van Hoe’s fascination with velvet stems from its historical association with luxury, as seen in the works of Holbein and Van Eyck.
Velvet’s tactile and visual appeal, with its changing light and rich texture, makes it a noble material. This luxurious quality is also evident in moiré fabric, used to cover the walls in the exhibition.
MARC VAN HOE :
« LE VELOURS EST UNE MATIÈRE QUI INCITE À L’OBSERVER ET À LA TOUCHER. »
Aujourd’hui et demain
Marc Van Hoe’s work extends beyond the Horta Museum to places like the rooftop bar at Rockefeller Center in New York, where he designed the upholstery.
Despite his prestigious projects, he dreams of seeing velvet used in car interiors, finding current leather options uninspiring.
He envisions creative designs with soft velvet, tufted linen, or cut wool, featuring subtle or personalized patterns.
