Frans Smet-Verhas, born Frans Smet (

Temse Temse (; ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in East Flanders, Belgium. The name Temse is derived from the Gallo-Roman/Gaul Tamisiacum or Tamasiacum. This is also reflected in the French name for the town, Tamise. The main sights in ...

, 21 August 1851 –

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

, 20 March 1925), was a Belgian architect. He was one of the principal designers to employ

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

in Antwerp at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Career

Following his marriage to Sophia Verhas, Frans Smet took the surname Smet-Verhas in 1887. His activities as an architect extended from 1880 to 1910, during which time he became one of the major architects to use Art Nouveau in Antwerp. He designed two of the most famous Art Nouveau structures in the city: the eccentric House of the Five Continents (Huis de Vijf Werelddelen), finished in 1901, and the House of the Battle of Waterloo (Huis De Slag van Waterloo), built in 1905. Before turning to Art Nouveau around 1900, he had constructed several buildings using eclectic and Flemish Renaissance-revival styles. His son Arthur Smet (1886–1974) also became an architect and later taught Renaat Braem.

Major works

All in Antwerp unless otherwise noted * Hôtel Het Zuidkasteel, Bolivarplaats, 2 (1882), eclectic * Post Office, Arendstraat 52 (1891), Flemish Renaissance-revival * Group of houses "Den Overvloed en Den Ooievaar" (The Affluence and the Stork), Cogels Osylei, 3/5/7 (1896), Flemish Renaissance-revival * Kunstenaarswoning (House and studio) Jef Koefoed, Anselmostraat 86 (1898), eclectic * Houses at Waterloostraat, numbers 14, 16, 18 (1901), Art Nouveau * House of the Five Continents (Huis De Vijf Werelddelen) (1901), Art Nouveau * Selderslachts-Clasman House (1904), Art Nouveau * House of the Battle of Waterloo (Huis De Slag van Waterloo) (1905), Art Nouveau * Schroyens House (1908), Art Nouveau

Bibliography

* Françoise Dierkens-Aubry and Jos Vandenbreeden, ''Art nouveau en Belgique: Architecture et Intérieurs'' (Paris: Duculot, 1991).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smet-Verhas, Frans Architects from Antwerp Art Nouveau architects

Career

Major works

See also

Bibliography

References