"To each epoc, its art. To art, its freedom." The motto on architect Victor Horta's 1898 house captures the essence of the Art Nouveau movement, for which Horta (1861–1947) was a pioneer. Brussels-born, Horta was also a pioneer of modern Belgian architecture, doing his most important work in Belgium's capital city, working to break away from designs of the past and create a style for his own period—in all of its arabesque, naturalistic, and geometric glory. Period and contemporary photographs, drawings, and documents related to Horta's work are now on display at the District Architecture Center in Washington, D.C., in The Cradle of Art Nouveau: Victor Horta and Brussels. Through Feb. 28. • aiadac.com
