What are the lesser-known Art Nouveau sights in Brussels?

Beyond Horta, seek out Maison Cauchie (a sgraffito-covered façade near the Cinquantenaire), Maison Saint-Cyr (a flamboyant narrow iron façade on Square Ambiorix), the Old England/MIM building, the Comics Art Museum (a free Horta interior), Hôtel Hannon, and the sgraffito-rich streets of Schaerbeek and Saint-Gilles.

What is sgraffito and where can you see it in Brussels?

Sgraffito is a decorative technique of scratching designs into coloured plaster, common on Art Nouveau façades. Brussels has hundreds of sgraffito panels, especially in Saint-Gilles, Ixelles and Schaerbeek — look up at the upper façades of townhouses for golden, floral and figurative murals.

Is the Comics Art Museum building Art Nouveau?

Yes — the Belgian Comic Strip Center (Comics Art Museum) is housed in Victor Horta's former Waucquez textile warehouse, a stunning 1906 Art Nouveau building. Visiting the comics museum is a free way to experience a genuine Horta interior.

Hidden Art Nouveau Gems in Brussels (2026 Guide)

Brussels is one big Art Nouveau treasure hunt

Everyone who digs into Brussels’ Art Nouveau finds Horta first — rightly. But the movement spread far beyond him, and the city is studded with lesser-known masterpieces, dazzling façades and gloriously decorated interiors that most visitors never notice. This guide is for the second-day explorer who’s already done the Horta Museum and wants more. Bring a camera and learn to look up.

The hidden architectural gems

Maison Cauchie

Near the Parc du Cinquantenaire, the home of painter Paul Cauchie is a single overwhelming façade of golden sgraffito — elegant Art Nouveau muses scratched and painted across the whole front. Open only a few days a month, but worth timing for; the exterior is free and astonishing.

Maison Saint-Cyr

On Square Ambiorix, this absurdly narrow (4-metre-wide) townhouse explodes upward in a riot of curling wrought iron — arguably the most flamboyant Art Nouveau façade in the city. Exterior only, but unforgettable.

The Old England building (MIM)

A black iron-and-glass former department store, now the Musical Instruments Museum — a rare Art Nouveau interior you can enter on a normal ticket, topped by a rooftop café with a city view (MIM guide).

Comics Art Museum (free Horta interior)

The Belgian Comic Strip Center occupies Horta’s 1906 Waucquez warehouse — so visiting the comics museum doubles as walking through a genuine Horta interior, with the famous staircase and glass (Comic Art Museum guide). One of the best-value Art Nouveau experiences in town.

Hôtel Hannon

A graceful corner mansion in Saint-Gilles, with Art Nouveau detailing inside and out; check current opening/exhibition access.

The art of sgraffito

Once you know the word, you’ll see it everywhere. Sgraffito — designs scratched into layers of coloured plaster — adorns the upper façades of countless Brussels townhouses, especially in Saint-Gilles, Ixelles and Schaerbeek. Floral panels, female figures, golden flourishes: a free, citywide gallery hiding in plain sight above the shopfronts. The trick is simply to look up as you walk (walking route).

Neighbourhoods to wander

Schaerbeek — sometimes called the “city of Art Nouveau,” its streets (around Avenue Louis Bertrand) are thick with decorated façades, yet barely touristed.
Saint-Gilles & Ixelles — the Horta heartland, dense with gems beyond the famous houses (Saint-Gilles guide).
Squares Ambiorix and Marie-Louise — elegant townhouses around landscaped ponds.

How to find them

These are scattered and many are exterior-only, so a knowledgeable guide pays off. A local-led Art Nouveau walk or a fuller 3-hour Art Nouveau tour will surface details you’d never spot alone, and a general hidden-gems tour weaves Art Nouveau into the wider offbeat city. Or just go DIY with this list and the walking route — wandering, looking up, and discovering for yourself is its own quiet pleasure, and one of the most rewarding ways to spend a Brussels morning.

Frequently asked questions — Hidden Art Nouveau gems in Brussels: beyond Horta

What is sgraffito and where can you see it in Brussels?
Sgraffito is a decorative technique of scratching designs into coloured plaster, common on Art Nouveau façades. Brussels has hundreds of sgraffito panels, especially in Saint-Gilles, Ixelles and Schaerbeek — look up at the upper façades of townhouses for golden, floral and figurative murals.
Is the Comics Art Museum building Art Nouveau?
Yes — the Belgian Comic Strip Center (Comics Art Museum) is housed in Victor Horta's former Waucquez textile warehouse, a stunning 1906 Art Nouveau building. Visiting the comics museum is a free way to experience a genuine Horta interior.