Aubette
Aubette is a historic building on Strasbourg's Place Kléber, best known for its pioneering 1920s avant-garde interiors.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Aubette, also known as L'Aubette, is a historic urban building on Place Kléber in central Strasbourg, France. It is not a conventional commercial brand or corporate enterprise; its significance lies in its architectural, cultural, and artistic identity. The building combines an eighteenth-century façade by architect Jacques-François Blondel with an exceptionally influential modernist interior created in the 1920s by Theo van Doesburg, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, and Jean Arp. The site originated as part of a medieval monastic complex dating from the thirteenth century. Much of that complex collapsed during the sixteenth century, after which surviving sections were adapted for military use. In the eighteenth century, the French authorities commissioned Jacques-François Blondel to rebuild the remaining structures in a style consistent with contemporary French architectural ideals. Construction took place from 1765 to 1772. The resulting building, initially associated with the name Obet and later called L'Aubette, continued to serve as a military garrison before gradually acquiring educational and entertainment functions in the nineteenth century. A fire in 1870 devastated the building. Blondel's façade survived, but the interior and much of the building's practical use were lost. The damaged structure remained largely neglected until the 1920s, when brothers Paul and André Horn, who held the lease, initiated a major transformation intended to adapt the premises for modern public entertainment. They commissioned three leading avant-garde artists: Dutch De Stijl figure Theo van Doesburg and the Zurich Dada-associated artists Sophie Taeuber-Arp and Jean Arp. The artists divided responsibility for the interior while coordinating on shared spaces. Van Doesburg designed two cafés and two dance halls, Taeuber-Arp worked on the entrance hall, tearoom, and two bars, and Arp designed the basement, passage, and billiard room. All three collaborated on the stairwell. Their approach treated the building as an integrated environment rather than a collection of independent paintings or decorative elements. Geometric compositions, strong color contrasts, spatial rhythm, and attention to movement connected the interior to contemporary ideas in abstract art, De Stijl, Dada, and modern architecture. The resulting ensemble has often been described as a landmark of total or environmental art and, metaphorically, as the “Sistine Chapel of abstract art.” Its designs were intended to shape the visitor's experience as the visitor moved through the building. Van Doesburg applied orthogonal compositions and primary colors associated with his theories of elementarism and neoplasticism, while Taeuber-Arp and Arp brought experimental approaches rooted in Dada and abstract art. The interiors were later covered over in 1938, obscuring much of the original scheme for decades. Recognition and conservation came progressively: the cinema and staircase received historic-monument protection in 1985, followed by the ballroom and foyer bar in 1989. Restoration campaigns were completed in 1994 and 2006. The restored spaces are now managed as a cultural heritage attraction and are open to the public, with free admission reported in the reference material. Aubette's present identity is therefore that of a publicly accessible monument and museum-related cultural site whose “offering” is its preserved architecture, interiors, and historical interpretation rather than manufactured goods.
History
Aubette's history extends back to a thirteenth-century monastic complex in Strasbourg. Much of the medieval complex collapsed in the sixteenth century, and the remaining structures were subsequently put to military use. During the eighteenth century, the authorities sought to give the site a more contemporary French architectural character. Architect Jacques-François Blondel was commissioned to rebuild the remnants on Place Kléber, producing a building constructed between 1765 and 1772. It became known first as Obet and later as L'Aubette, and its principal function remained connected with military occupation. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the building was being used not only for military purposes but also for education and entertainment. A major fire in 1870 destroyed the interior and left Blondel's façade as the most substantial surviving element. The damaged building then remained underused and largely overlooked until the 1920s. A decisive change occurred when lessees Paul and André Horn commissioned a new interior intended to support contemporary forms of leisure and public entertainment. In 1926, they engaged Theo van Doesburg, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, and Jean Arp. Rather than treating the project as ordinary decoration, the artists developed an integrated environment in which architecture, painting, color, geometry, and bodily movement were closely connected. Van Doesburg designed the two cafés and two dance halls, using an orthogonal visual language and vivid primary colors associated with De Stijl, elementarism, and neoplasticism. Taeuber-Arp designed the entrance hall, tearoom, and two bars. Arp worked on the basement, passage, and billiard room. The three artists jointly addressed the stairwell. Their collaboration made Aubette an important example of an avant-garde interior conceived as a total spatial experience. The visitor was expected to encounter an abstract environment whose effects changed through movement and changing viewpoints. The interiors did not remain continuously visible. In 1938, they were covered over, substantially reducing public awareness of the original scheme. Later conservation work restored the building's cultural importance. The cinema and staircase were designated historic monuments in 1985, and the ballroom and foyer bar received comparable protection in 1989. Restoration projects were completed in 1994 and 2006, helping recover and present the surviving twentieth-century interiors. Today, Aubette is open to the public as a historic monument and cultural attraction in Strasbourg. Its importance rests on the layered relationship between medieval origins, Blondel's eighteenth-century reconstruction, the building's nineteenth-century entertainment uses, the 1870 fire, and the internationally significant 1920s interior. The site is commonly presented under the heritage designation Aubette 1928 and remains a notable meeting point between architecture, design, abstract art, and public culture.
- 2006
Further restoration completed
[1]A later restoration campaign further supported the public presentation of Aubette's architectural and artistic heritage.
- 1994
Restoration project completed
[1]One phase of restoration work helped recover and present the building's historically important interiors.
- 1989
Additional interiors protected
[1]The ballroom and foyer bar were added to the protected historic-monument designation.
- 1985
Cinema and staircase protected
[1]The cinema and staircase were declared historic monuments.
- 1938
Modernist interiors covered
[1]The 1920s interior scheme was covered over, obscuring much of the artists' work from public view.
- 1926
Avant-garde interior commissioned
[1]Lessees Paul and André Horn commissioned Theo van Doesburg, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, and Jean Arp to redesign the interior for modern entertainment uses.
- 1870
Fire damages the building
[1]A fire destroyed most of the building's interior, leaving Blondel's façade as the principal surviving element.
- 1772
Eighteenth-century Aubette completed
[1]The rebuilt structure, later known as L'Aubette, was completed and continued to have military uses.
- 1765
Blondel reconstruction begins
[1]Architect Jacques-François Blondel began rebuilding the site on Place Kléber in a project completed in 1772.
Medieval monastic origins
[1]The site developed from a monastic complex established in Strasbourg during the thirteenth century.
Products and positioning
Aubette is positioned as a major Strasbourg cultural and architectural landmark, distinguished by the coexistence of Blondel's eighteenth-century façade and a rare surviving 1920s avant-garde interior by Van Doesburg, Taeuber-Arp, and Arp.
Avant-garde interior design · 1926
Aubette 1928 interior ensemble
The principal cultural offering associated with Aubette is the surviving 1920s interior created by Theo van Doesburg, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, and Jean Arp. The ensemble includes spaces originally conceived as cafés, dance halls, bars, a tearoom, a cinema-related area, a billiard room, a passage, an entrance hall, and a staircase. Its distinctive character comes from the artists' coordinated use of geometry, color, abstraction, and movement within an architectural environment.
Cultural heritage attraction
Historic monument visit
Aubette functions as a publicly accessible heritage site in central Strasbourg. Visitors encounter the preserved relationship between Blondel's eighteenth-century building and the restored modernist interiors. The site provides an architectural and art-historical experience rather than a conventional commercial product, and the reference material states that admission is free.
Brand decisions
1938
Covering of the avant-garde interiorsOtherBackground
The experimental 1920s interiors had become vulnerable to changing tastes and practical decisions about the building's use.
Action taken
The interior decoration was covered over, concealing much of the original artistic scheme.
Aftermath
The work was later reassessed as historically important, leading to monument protection and restoration efforts.
1926
Commission of a modern entertainment interiorStrategyBackground
Lessees Paul and André Horn needed to adapt Aubette's damaged and underused premises for contemporary public entertainment.
Action taken
They commissioned Theo van Doesburg, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, and Jean Arp to create a coordinated avant-garde interior spanning cafés, dance halls, bars, a tearoom, circulation areas, and other public rooms.
Aftermath
The project established Aubette as a major example of integrated modernist interior design and later became the basis of its cultural heritage identity.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/aubette · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled