for the original 1880 Palais des Beaux-Arts, see the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium , is one of the most famous museums in Belgium.-The museum:...

The Paleis voor Schone Kunsten (Dutch

Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...

) or Palais des Beaux-Arts (French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

) is cultural venue in Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

. Often referred to as "Bozar" or "PSK", construction was completed in 1928 and includes exhibition and conference rooms, movie theater and concert hall which serves as home to the National Orchestra of Belgium

National Orchestra of Belgium

The Nationaal Orkest van België or Orchestre National de Belgique is the oldest of two major orchestras now in Belgium, along with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège....

.

Following the First World War, funding was initially denied for the plans by Belgian Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...

 architect Victor Horta

Victor Horta

Victor, Baron Horta was a Belgian architect and designer. John Julius Norwich described him as "undoubtedly the key European Art Nouveau architect." Indeed, Horta is one of the most important names in Art Nouveau architecture; the construction of his Hôtel Tassel in Brussels in 1892-3 means that...

 (1861-1947) by the Belgian Parliament. With the founding of the Société du Palais des Beaux-Arts in 1922, the project was revived with several restrictions: the city supplied a very irregular area on the slope between the higher and the lower part of the city. The main facade had to house shopping facilities. The height was restricted not to compromise the King

Monarchy of Belgium

Monarchy in Belgium is constitutional and popular in nature. The hereditary monarch, at present Albert II, is the head of state and is officially called King of the Belgians .-Origins:...

's view of Brussels' skyline from the Royal Palace.

It took more than a decade to complete the complex that contains a large concert hall, a recital room, a chamber music room, lecture rooms, t a vast gallery for temporary exhibitions. Horta created a stunning Art Deco

Art Deco

Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

 masterpiece. He managed to put together this array of different functions on a rather small building plot with restricted conditions using more than 8 building levels with a large part situated underground.

Since 2002, the Belgian federal intuition has chosen the brand name BOZAR which has seven artistic departments: Bozar Expo, Bozar Music, Bozar Cinema, Bozar Dance, Bozar Theatre, Bozar Literature, Bozar Studios and Bozar Architecture. The Bozar is home to the National Orchestra of Belgium

National Orchestra of Belgium

The Nationaal Orkest van België or Orchestre National de Belgique is the oldest of two major orchestras now in Belgium, along with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège....

, the Société Philharmonique/Philharmonische Vereniging which invites the world's major orchestras and performers to appear at the Le Boeuf Hall. The finals of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition

Queen Elisabeth Music Competition

The Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, a founding member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions has been, since its foundation, considered the world over to be one of the most prestigious and most difficult. It is devoted to violin , piano , to composition and to singing...

are held there also. Up to 10 exhibitions a year are organised at BOZAR. Recent exhibitions are Jeff Wall, Luc Tuymans, Frida Kahlo, Lucas Cranach, Gilbert and George, Wim Delvoye, Ventian and Flemish Masters, It's not only rock'n'roll Baby, and much more.

Facilities

• Victor Horta Hall (Great Sculpture Hall)
• Exhibition rooms
• Chamber Music Room seating capacity 476
• Henry Le Boeuf Hall, seating capacity 2,200
• Studio recital hall, seating capacity 210
• Salle Terarken, multi-purpose hall

External links

• BOZAR official website