Adolphe Stoclet
Encyclopedia
Adolphe Stoclet was a Belgian engineer and financier. Today, however, he is most famous as the man who commissioned the Palais Stoclet, a mansion in Brussels
, Belgium
, between 1907 and 1911.
, and daughter of the art historian Alfred Stevens. They had one daughter, Annie, in 1908. Stoclet was described by contemporaries as charming, but somewhat pompous, and had a large beard said to resemble that of the Assyria
n king Ashurbanipal
.
Stoclet became a civil engineer for railroads. The death of his father forced Stoclet to take over the direction of the Société Générale de Belgique, which for many years was one of the largest companies in Belgium and owned about forty different enterprises, including banks, weapons production, mines in the Belgian Congo, and others. Banque d'Outremer, an affiliate company to the Société Générale de Banque had its office, rue de Brederode built in 1910 by architect Josef Hoffmann
.
While in Vienna
to oversee the construction of a railroad, Stoclet met one of the masters of the Vienna Sezession
(and later, the Wiener Werkstätte
), the architect Josef Hoffmann. Stoclet shared Hoffmann's avant-garde artistic inclinations, and commissioned the latter to build him his own villa. While Stoclet initially considered building the house in Vienna, eventually he settled on a site in Brussels. The architect received not only artistic license for the design, but also an unlimited budget. Hoffmann left much of the interior decoration for the Palais Stoclet to the painter Gustav Klimt
and the artist Fernand Khnopff
. Madame Stoclet apparently coordinated the colors of the flowers in the vases with the ties Stoclet wore.
The Palais Stoclet is situated at 279-81 avenue de Tervuren in Brussels. Stoclet resided there until his death in 1949, leaving it to his heirs, who currently occupy the property.
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...
, between 1907 and 1911.
Life
Stoclet was born into a family of Belgian bankers. His wife, Suzanne, was a niece of the painter Alfred StevensAlfred Stevens (painter)
Alfred Émile Léopold Stevens was a Belgian painter.Alfred Stevens was born in Brussels. He came from a family involved with the visual arts: his older brother Joseph and his son Léopold were painters, while another brother Arthur was an art dealer and critic...
, and daughter of the art historian Alfred Stevens. They had one daughter, Annie, in 1908. Stoclet was described by contemporaries as charming, but somewhat pompous, and had a large beard said to resemble that of the Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n king Ashurbanipal
Ashurbanipal
Ashurbanipal |Ashur]] is creator of an heir"; 685 BC – c. 627 BC), also spelled Assurbanipal or Ashshurbanipal, was an Assyrian king, the son of Esarhaddon and the last great king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire...
.
Stoclet became a civil engineer for railroads. The death of his father forced Stoclet to take over the direction of the Société Générale de Belgique, which for many years was one of the largest companies in Belgium and owned about forty different enterprises, including banks, weapons production, mines in the Belgian Congo, and others. Banque d'Outremer, an affiliate company to the Société Générale de Banque had its office, rue de Brederode built in 1910 by architect Josef Hoffmann
Josef Hoffmann
Josef Hoffmann was an Austrian architect and designer of consumer goods.- Biography :...
.
While in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to oversee the construction of a railroad, Stoclet met one of the masters of the Vienna Sezession
Sezession
Secession refers to a number of modernist artist groups that separated from the support of official academic art and its administrations in the late 19th and early 20th century....
(and later, the Wiener Werkstätte
Wiener Werkstätte
Established in 1903, the Wiener Werkstätte was a production community of visual artists. The workshop brought together architects, artists and designers whose first commitment was to design art which would be accessible to everyone...
), the architect Josef Hoffmann. Stoclet shared Hoffmann's avant-garde artistic inclinations, and commissioned the latter to build him his own villa. While Stoclet initially considered building the house in Vienna, eventually he settled on a site in Brussels. The architect received not only artistic license for the design, but also an unlimited budget. Hoffmann left much of the interior decoration for the Palais Stoclet to the painter Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt was an Austrian Symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. His major works include paintings, murals, sketches, and other art objects...
and the artist Fernand Khnopff
Fernand Khnopff
Fernand Edmond Jean Marie Khnopff as a Belgian symbolist painter.- Youth and Training :...
. Madame Stoclet apparently coordinated the colors of the flowers in the vases with the ties Stoclet wore.
The Palais Stoclet is situated at 279-81 avenue de Tervuren in Brussels. Stoclet resided there until his death in 1949, leaving it to his heirs, who currently occupy the property.