Thomas Deprez Fine Arts - Masterpiece by Pierre Braecke

Some buildings, like some works of art, are the stuff of legends... That certainly is the case for Victor Horta's famous Hôtel Aubecq (Avenue Louise 520, Brussels). 75 years after its shameless demolition in 1950, those in the know are still hoping for the promised reconstruction of its dismantled facade. For the better part of a century, this Art Nouveau gem has been laid out for theft in hangars, moved, damaged, and moved again. Parts of its interior, saved and sold, have been eagerly collected around the world. As such, part of the dining room furniture, a doorway and its stained glass windows, have been on permanent display at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris for decades. But many objects and elements from the Hôtel Aubecq might sadly be lost forever. This was believed to be the case for what is arguably the greatest artistic treasure that was housed at the Hôtel Aubecq: Pierre Braecke's more than 2 meter high marble sculpture L'Humanité, which dates from around 1906. L'Humanité was displayed in a niche in front of the staircase of the grand hall, at the very center or the architectural heart of the house.