MuseumChick | Danee Gilmartin

Tin Tin mania! Everywhere you turn in Brussels you can see the proud comic strip heritage. Belgium considers the comic strip to be an art form. Around the city you can see comic scenes scaling the side of 6 story buildings, Tin Tin overload in the stores and an entire museum dedicated to comic strips- The Belgian Comic Strip Center/Museum. This museum is perfect for children (and nerdy husbands, like mine). An added architecture buff bonus- The Comic Strip Center is located in the The Waucquez Warehouses, a masterpiece of famous Belgian Art Nouveau architect, Victor Horta.

First thing as I enter the museum- of course a dedication to Tin Tin is necessary. Mr. Museumchick informs me, “Did you know Tin Tin was translated into as many languages as the Bible?” With forced enthusiasm I reply, "Wow, I didn't know that!" I have to say, I still really wasn't interested in seeing the Comic Strip Museum but I drag him to many museums I like (ones I'm sure he could go without seeing- the fashion museums for example). So the least I could do was play along, "Oh, sweetie, go stand by the Tin Tin rocket ship while I take your picture".

I found that once I got inside, I didn't have to play along anymore. I genuinely had fun reading about the history of comics and playing in the kid-like comic props. The welcoming reception woman gave us a booklet that translated information about the museum in English but it really wasn't necessary. It was more fun just getting lost in the temporary walls installed in this historic Art Nouveau building.  

More Tin-Tin…

Looking out the window…more comics! I'm surrounded!

Mr. MuseumChick having fun in the spaceship, mind stealer, bluething-y.  Don't you think you're too big for that?

A maze of comics…

A small exhibit dedicated to Art Nouveau architecture in Belgium is on the ground floor (I found this the most interesting). One section recounts the many Victor Horta buildings around Belgium, highlighting his famous staircase designs.

This is one of Victor Horta's staircase designs in the Comic Museum.

©2010 Danee Gilmartin All rights reserved

    This week I decided to go on a scavenger hunt for the many buildings around Paris designed by the famous architect, Jules Lavirotte. Paris is home to many beautiful apartment buildings but Lavirotte's Art Nouveau designs are especially flamboyant and interesting. He is known for his elaborate iron balconies and doors and his reliefs of flowers, fruit and animals. You can also tell a Lavirotte building because he signs his name and date into the stone in a very obvious place.
 

    I started at his most famous building on 29 Avenue Rapp, just a five minute walk from the Eiffel Tower and around the corner from my apartment. This façade (pictured to the right) won the award of the Concours de façades de la ville de Paris (Contest of façades of Paris) in 1901 and also created a controversy for its erotic design. Look at the door closely and you can see the phallic door design. Yes, that's a penis shaped design  starting in the windows and carved into the wood of the door. Sculpted above the door is a woman's head, supposedly his wife, and to the sides are naked figures portraying Adam and Eve. You can see the use of animal imagery in the cattle heads under the center balcony and the lizard door handle. For this façade Lavirotte worked with sculptor Jean-Baptiste Larrive.

29 Avenue Rapp façade

Lizard door handles

  Cattle heads and iron balconies

    Lavirotte has four other buildings in the same area (all in the 7th arrondissement), so I walked to see the rest stopping first for a croissant of course! In 1899 he designed an apartment building around the corner at 3 Square Rapp and not far from that an apartment building on 12 Rue Sedillot that same year. Also close by is 151 Rue de Grenelle designed in 1900. These buildings were far less flamboyant than 29 Ave. Rapp but interesting to see his signature iron work in the balconies.

12 Rue Sedillot façade

Someone lives here! 151 Rue de Grenelle

    I then followed Rue de Grenelle across the park at Esplanade des Invalides to see an earlier design  from 1898 (134 Rue de Grenelle). Crossing over Rue de Grenelle is a great view of the Hôtel des Invalides to the right and the Grand Palais to the left. It was a blustery day and there was a man flying a kite in front of the Air France building. I found 134 Rue de Grenelle just a few blocks later. This building was the least embellished design I saw and the iron work on the door was particularly interesting, done with large leaves above the door handles.

Venturing over the park at Esplanade des Invalides

Windy days are great for kite flying!

134 Rue de Grenelle door handles

Looking back at the Hôtel des Invalides

    I then ventured over Pont Alexandre III into the 8th arrondissement to find more designs. The next, located just north of the Arc de Triomphe at 34 Avenue de Wagram was designed in 1904 and is now the Ceramic Hotel. On the front of the hotel is Lavirotte's enormous signature in the center of the building in lights. This building got its name because of its glazed earthenware façade that Lavirotte worked with ceramicist Alexandre Bigot to create. 

The Ceramic Hotel façade decorated for the holidays

  The very large signature of Lavirotte

    My last stop was the most charming of Lavirotte's designs at 23 Avenue de Messine. This building was especially well done in white stone with reliefs of large trumpet flowers on vines above the main door and apple trees growing up the curving iron balconies. What a privilege to live in one of these creative buildings!

The entrance at 23 Ave de Messine

Flower detailing over the main door

Apple trees climbing up the balconies

 
Somebody's home

  Trumpet flowers everywhere!

 From this angle you can see the beautiful curving of the façade

©2010 Danee Gilmartin All rights reserved