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Paul Hankar | |
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 Hankarc. 1890 | |
| Born | (1859-12-11)11 December 1859 |
| Died | 17 January 1901(1901-01-17) (aged 41) Brussels,Province of Brabant, Belgium |
| Occupation | Architect |
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| Projects |
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Paul Hankar (French:[pɔlɑ̃kaʁ]; 11 December 1859 – 17 January 1901) was aBelgian architect and furniture designer, and an innovator in theArt Nouveau style.
Hankar was born atFrameries, inHainaut, Belgium, the son of a stonemason. He studied at theRoyal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, where he met fellow student (and future architect)Victor Horta. Like Horta, he closely studied the techniques of forgediron, which he would later use in many of his buildings. He began his career as a designer and sculptor of funeral monuments. From 1879 to 1894, he worked in the studio of the prominent architectHenri Beyaert, a master ofeclectic andneoclassical architecture. Through Beyaert, Hankar became an admirer ofEugène Viollet-le-Duc, the French architect who advocated the use of innovative new materials such as iron and glass, while drawing from historical architecture for inspiration.[1] Under Beyaert, he was chief designer for the Palacio de Chávarri (1889) inBilbao, Spain, constructed for the businessman Víctor Chávarri.
He opened his own office in Brussels in 1893, and began the construction of his own house, theHankar House, at 71,rue Defacqz/Defacqzstraat, in theSaint-Gilles municipality of Brussels. This and Victor Horta'sHôtel Tassel (constructed at the same time), are considered the first two houses built in the Art Nouveau style. A circa-1894 poster by his friend and frequent collaborator,Adolphe Crespin, advertises Hankar's practice there. The Hankar House's facade expresses the building's structure—the eastern third, containing the entrance and stairs, is offset a half-story from the western two-thirds, containing the public rooms. A three-story projecting box-bay, supported on stonecorbels, provides ample light to the second and third floor rooms and a balcony for the fourth. Mural panels by Crespin appear under the windows and in an arcaded frieze at the eaves. The interplay between heavyneo-Renaissance elements and materials versus light Art Nouveau detailing and decoration results in a vivid composition.
In 1896, he presented a project for a Cité des Artistes ("City of Artists") for the seaside town ofWestende, inWest Flanders, Belgium, an artists' cooperative with housing and studios.[2] Although the project never was realized, it would later inspire theDarmstadt Artists' Colony inDarmstadt, Germany, and the artists of theVienna Secession. For the1897 World's Fair in Brussels, he contributed to the design of the Congo section, which became known for its full employment of the Art Nouveau. He also lectured on "New Brussels," his vision for an urban redevelopment of the city, that was never realized. Later that year, he participated in the Colonial Exposition inTervuren, near Brussels, where he coordinated the works of several artisans and furniture designers.
He designed a monumental stone bench (1898–99), carved by the Ecausines and Soignies quarries, to be exhibited in the Mine and Metallurgy Section of theExposition Universelle (1900) in Paris. KingLeopold II of Belgium bought the bench at the close of the exposition, and donated it to a park in the Koninginlaan neighborhood ofOstend, where it was installed by 1905.[3] The bench was removed in 1971 to expand a parking lot, and destroyed. Using Hankar's surviving drawings, a replica bench was carved for the park (2003–04), and installed on the same foundations as the original.[4]
During his career, he was a professor of engineering at the School of Applied Arts inSchaerbeek (1891–97), and a professor of architectural history at the Institut des Hautes Etudes of theUniversity of Brussels (1897–1901). He worked as editor ofL'Emulation (1894–96), a magazine that promoted the Art Nouveau style.
He died in January 1901 at the age of 41, when his work was just becoming known,[5] but his style influenced the work of younger Brussels' artists, including Paul Hamesse, Léon Sneyers, Antoine Pompe and the modernistVictor Bourgeois.[1]
The first Art Nouveau houses of Hankar andHorta were completed in the same year, 1893, and the styles of the two architects were similar in several ways. They both renounced traditional historical styles, made visible use of new materials, such as glass and iron, and had as well a strong preference for arches, and for curving lines, a style sometimes calledà membrures, which characterised the early work of both architects. There was a great difference, however, in their available budgets; Hankar was building homes for his artist friends, with modest budgets, while Horta had very wealthy patrons, who could afford expensive materials and larger houses. The chief feature of Horta's houses was the interior, while the focus of Hankar's houses was primarily the facade. Hankar believed that Horta's work was excessively lavish; he called it "Louis XV".[6]
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