The sculptures of the Saint-Gilles town hall

The Hôtel de ville de Saint-Gilles is the work of Albert Dumont (1853-1920), a self-taught architect whose work is marked by the French and Flemish Renaissance. Erected in 1904, this imposing neo-Renaissance building is the apotheosis of Saint-Gilles artistic activity. The deep ties created with Saint-Gilles artists have contributed, throughout its 120 years of existence, to enriching the Town Hall collection. The Saint-Gilles town hall is a true manifesto of early 20th-century Belgian art and sculpture in particular! We find there on the one hand the moldings, capitals and other architectural elements that rhythm and underline the volumes of the building and on the other hand, "a real ornamental program that populates the facades with illustrated reliefs and allegorical figures, or even animals, charged with supporting the meaning and role of the building". In addition to these ornamental decorations, numerous sculptures in the round were commissioned from the greatest Brussels sculptors of the time such as Jeff Lambeaux, Jacques de Lalaing, Victor Rousseau or Julien Dillens. Each sculpture represents a function, a symbol, a value, an idea or even a St-Gilles personality!