MEISE, September 4, 2026 – Have we lost our paradise for good, or are we experiencing, after two centuries, a new renaissance in the relationship between humans, architecture, and nature? From September 5 to October 25, 2026, Meise Botanic Garden will host the sensational exhibition 'Paradise Lost? 200 years of vision on nature and architecture'. Through the iconic work of court architect Alphonse Balat, the teacher of Victor Horta, the exhibition explores the influence of the 19th-century glass revolution on artists and contemporary architecture. A quest for a new green habitat.
A Modern Garden of Eden
In the 19th century, scientific expeditions and the Industrial Revolution brought about a radical shift in greenhouse construction. New materials like cast iron and glass enabled botanists, engineers, and architects to brilliantly push past traditional architectural boundaries. They built ever higher, lighter, and more grandiose structures to protect fragile, exotic flora. The result? A glass dreamworld — a modern Garden of Eden. Was it driven by scientific wonder, a desire for status, fashion, or commercial spirit?
At the heart of this story is Alphonse Balat (1818-1895), master of iron and glass. He was the court architect to King Leopold II and the mentor of Victor Horta. His ingenious, pure-formed structures — such as the historic Balat Greenhouse in Meise and the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken — along with the Crystal Palace, represented the absolute pinnacle of greenhouse construction in Europe.
