Pavilion of Human Passions

Exceptional evening openings of the Pavilion of Human Passions (Horta Pavilion)

From 26 December 2025 to 8 March 2026, the Pavilion of Human Passions, also known as the Horta Pavilion, will exceptionally open in the evening. Visitors can experience the monumental relief by Jef Lambeaux through a contemporary light and music projection by artist Antoine Goldschmidt.

With the support of visit.brussels, Goldschmidt created a six-minute audiovisual work that offers a renewed reading of the sculpture. The successive scenes and their dynamism are highlighted, as well as the materiality and sculptural mastery of Lambeaux. The work was previously presented with great success during the Bright Festival.

Through this project, the Art & History Museum affirms its contemporary vision of artistic mediation, in which present-day artists contribute new interpretative layers to historical artworks.

Practical information

  • Dates: 26 December 2025 – 8 March 2026
  • Days: Thursday to Sunday
    (closed on 25 December and 1 January)
  • Opening hours:
    • December: 5.30 pm – 10 pm (last projection at 9.30 pm)
    • January: 6 pm – 10 pm (last projection at 9.30 pm)
    • February & March: 7 pm – 10 pm (last projection at 9.30 pm)
  • Frequency: every 30 minutes
  • Tickets: €7 per person (online sales only) click here to order your tickets!

Please note:
The pavilion is not heated – warm clothing is recommended.
Opening hours vary according to sunset times.

With the support of Pavi’ON.

 

An iconic Place in the Cinquantenaire Park

In the Cinquantenaire Park stands a small building with the allure of a Greek temple. For the young Victor Horta, it was his first public commission. Inside, it houses the monumental relief The Human Passions by Jef Lambeaux. This striking artwork - 11 metres long and 6 metres high - carved in smooth Carrara marble, vividly portrays the pleasures and sufferings of humanity.

Since 1898, Victor Horta’s neoclassical, temple-like pavilion and Jef Lambeaux’s monumental white marble relief have been inseparably linked in the Parc du Cinquantenaire. The strained collaboration between the two artists, the sensuously writhing nudes, and the building’s frequent closure due to its delicate condition have all contributed to the story, the scandal, and the enduring mystery surrounding the pavilion.

Since 2015, both the building and the relief have been carefully cleaned and restored.

How to Visit?

  • During a guided tour for individuals, held on the last Sunday of each month (see calendar)
  • With a guide during a group tour (see practical info below)

Practical information for guided group tours

  • Price: €117,50 + €2,50 per participant (max. 15 participants per group)
  • Duration: 90 minutes
  • Reservation: At least 3 weeks in advance via this webform
  • Starting point: reception desk of the Art & History Museum