BLÉROT, Ernest
Belgian architect and designer. He studied architecture at the Ecole Saint-Luc in Brussels. During his very brief career as a practising architect (1899-1903), he became one of the most interesting protagonists of the Art Nouveau style in Brussels.
His work included a total of 17 houses in Saint-Gilles and 11 houses in Saint-Boniface, Ixelles, Brussels, where he acted as both architect and builder and sold the houses on completion. To suit the individual tastes of the purchasers, he created a different façade for each house based on virtually identical plans. These buildings remain as examples of Art Nouveau ensembles that are unique in their architectural variety. During the same period, he built some 15 houses in the new districts to the south of Brussels, for which he also designed some remarkable wrought ironwork.
From 1902 to 1908, he concentrated on building his own house (destroyed 1962). It was one of the most interesting corner buildings in Brussels whose decorative detail showed a desire to go beyond Art Nouveau. However, the difficulty of finding a transition between Art Nouveau and a different style led Blérot to abandon his professional practice almost entirely. His passion for machinery led him ultimately into the design of motor vehicle prototypes.
