A hundred gilded years of art deco ... and Brussels lays claim to starting it all

Belgian celebrations challenge view that Paris was birthplace of movement that conquered the world

- Jennifer Rankin

The gold leaf around the window and door frames ripples, reflected in the water of the swimming pool. Elegant, spare, pristine, the Villa Empain in south Brussels seems little changed since it was built over 90 years ago.

Yet this art deco masterpiece reopened only in 2010 after falling into ruin. Illegal ravers had scrawled on its marble walls and stolen its treasures, from radiator grills to a decorative fish that was the centrepiece of a fountain in the bar.

Now restored to its former opulence, the villa is one of the highlights of Brussels' year of art deco as the Belgian capital celebrates the artistic movement of the 1920s and 30s and seeks recognition. Many people know of Brussels' art nouveau heritage: the sinuous curves and floral designs of the belle époque. But fewer see the Belgian capital as a centre for art deco, with its geometric lines, luxurious materials and exotic motifs.

"Not a lot of people know that Brussels also has a lot of amazing art-deco buildings," Ans Persoons, secretary of state for urban planning and heritage for the Brussels region, told the Observer. Now she wants the Belgian capital on the map as one of the main European cities for art deco.

Throughout 2025, the city is celebrating this heritage with events, conferences, open-door days and film screenings including, perhaps inevitably,