Protection of Chattels within a Listed Building: the Case of Stoclet Palace, Brussels
(2014) Art Antiquity and Law — Vol. 19, n° 4, p. 347-373 (2014)
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- Abstract
- The Stoclet Palace is a mansion located in Brussels, built in the early part of the twentieth century by the architect Josef Hoffmann (a founder member of the Viennese Secession group of artists and architects). Construction of the Palace was commissioned by the banker and art lover Adolphe Stoclet and the resultant work was a modern, twentieth-century building characterised by an absence of clutter and with every detail of the building having been designed by Hoffmann. In 2009 the building was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This article discusses the decision to list, not only the building itself, but the chattels within, also designed by Hoffmann, and the challenge to this decision on the part of the Stoclet sisters, granddaughters of Adolphe Stoclet. The case raises important questions as to the potential scope of decisions to list culturally significant buildings, the human rights implications of such decisions as well as shedding light on the intricacies and inconsistencies of Belgian law in relation to protection of cultural heritage.
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de Clippele, M.-S. (2014). Protection of Chattels within a Listed Building: the Case of Stoclet Palace, Brussels. Art Antiquity and Law, 19(4), 347-373. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/192506 (Original work published 2014)