Jacques Wirtz
- December 31, 1924
- July 21, 2018
- 93 years
About Jacques Wirtz
Jacques Wirtz, 93, Belgian landscape gardener.
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60 Seconds Life Story
Jacques Wirtz was a visionary Belgian landscape architect who transformed public and private spaces into
Jacques Wirtz
1924 – 2018
60 Seconds: Jacques Wirtz's Life Story
A brief overview of the life and influential landscape designs of the Belgian architect Jacques Wirtz.
Transcript
Jacques Wirtz was a visionary Belgian landscape architect who transformed public and private spaces into living green architecture. Born in Schoten in 1924, he studied at a horticultural school in Vilvoorde before eventually establishing his own firm in 1950. Wirtz became internationally recognized after designing the Belgian pavilion garden for Expo 70 in Osaka. He was famous for using evergreens clipped into undulating foliage clouds to honor the spirit of the land. His vast portfolio includes iconic works like the redesign of the Carrousel Garden in the Tuileries and the grounds of the Élysée Palace. By the time he passed away in 2018 at age 93, Wirtz had left a lasting, serene legacy throughout Europe. His firm remains the largest landscape design business in Belgium today.
Play the illustrated life story above, or read the full biography on this page.
Visual credits: Flickr (No restrictions) · wellcomeimages.org (CC BY 4.0) · libserv.tudelft.nl (Public domain) · Flickr (No restrictions) · National Gallery, London (Public domain) · nassimohmd / Pixabay (Pixabay Content License) · sothebys.com (Public domain)
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Full Biography
|Jacques Wirtz (31 December 1924 – 21 July 2018) was a Belgian landscape architect.
Wirtz was born in Schoten, a suburb of Antwerp. His family were stockbrokers. He studied landscape architecture at a horticultural school in Vilvoorde. He was forced to work in a nursery in Germany during the Second World War. He started his own business in 1950, as garden designer and later landscape architect. He has four children. His sons Martin (born 1963) and Peter (born 1961) joined the firm in 1990. It is the largest landscape design business in Belgium.
Wirtz is particularly noted for his use of evergreens clipped to create undulating "clouds" of foliage, creating a green architecture that lasts all year, together with a retrained palette of herbaceous planting. He believed that his gardens should preserve and enhance the spirit of place, rather than stamping his own mark on the landscape.
He came to public notice after being commissioned to design the garden for the Belgian pavilion at Expo '70 in Osaka. Perhaps his largest public commission was the redesigned Carrousel Garden (jardin du Carrousel) in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, a long-running project which started in 1990 and was completed in 2004. President Mitterrand also asked him to redesign the gardens at the Élysée Palace (1992). In addition to many small and large gardens for industrial or domestic settings, his firm has designed gardens in Belgium at Cogels Park in Schoten (1977), the campus of Antwerp University (1978), Bremweide Park in Antwerp (1978), for the Belgian headquarters of BMW at Bornemat (1985), a garden running down the centre of Albert II Boulevard in Brussels (1992), and gardens at the Château De Groote Mot in Borgloon (1994), part of the garden at Hex Castle in Heers (1995), and the garden at the Château de Vinderhoute (1997); in Luxembourg, for the Banque de Luxembourg (1996) and Banque Générale du Luxembourg (1997); and the renovated garden at Alnwick Castle (2001), and Jubilee Park in Canary Wharf in England.
He received the Golden Medal of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts in 2006, when he was compared with André Le Nôtre, William Kent, and Lancelot “Capability” Brown.
Wirtz died on 21 July 2018.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Wirtz
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 11, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Jacques Wirtz's archived record and the sources above.
1.What was the profession of Jacques Wirtz's family?
- A.Nursery owners
- B.Landscape architects
- C.Stockbrokerscorrect
- D.Horticulturists
The text explicitly states that the family of Jacques Wirtz were stockbrokers.
Source: early life section
2.Where did Jacques Wirtz study landscape architecture?
- A.A design academy in Brussels
- B.A university in Antwerp
- C.A horticultural school in Vilvoordecorrect
- D.A technical institute in Schoten
Jacques Wirtz studied landscape architecture at a horticultural school in Vilvoorde.
Source: education section
3.In what year did Jacques Wirtz start his own business?
- A.1950correct
- B.1960
- C.1970
- D.1945
Jacques Wirtz started his own business as a garden designer in 1950.
Source: career beginnings section
4.What year did the sons of Jacques Wirtz, Martin and Peter, join his firm?
- A.1990correct
- B.1963
- C.2004
- D.1961
Martin and Peter Wirtz joined the firm established by their father in 1990.
Source: family and firm section
5.What kind of foliage design is Jacques Wirtz particularly noted for using?
- A.Undulating clouds of foliagecorrect
- B.Wildflower meadows
- C.Desert xeriscaping
- D.Formal geometric hedges
Jacques Wirtz is noted for his use of evergreens clipped to create undulating clouds of foliage.
Source: design style section
6.Which event served as the breakthrough for Jacques Wirtz to come to public notice?
- A.The redesign of the Élysée Palace gardens
- B.The development of Jubilee Park
- C.The Belgian pavilion at Expo '70 in Osakacorrect
- D.The renovation of Alnwick Castle
Jacques Wirtz came to public notice after designing the garden for the Belgian pavilion at Expo '70 in Osaka.
Source: career milestones section
7.In what year was the Carrousel Garden project in Paris completed?
- A.1996
- B.1992
- C.2004correct
- D.1990
The redesign of the Carrousel Garden in the Tuileries Gardens started in 1990 and was finished in 2004.
Source: major projects section
8.Which French President requested that Jacques Wirtz redesign the gardens at the Élysée Palace?
- A.President Mitterrandcorrect
- B.President Hollande
- C.President Chirac
- D.President Sarkozy
President Mitterrand asked Jacques Wirtz to redesign the gardens at the Élysée Palace in 1992.
Source: major projects section
9.In what year did Jacques Wirtz design the gardens for the Belgian headquarters of BMW?
- A.1977
- B.1992
- C.1978
- D.1985correct
The firm designed the gardens for the Belgian headquarters of BMW in Bornemat in 1985.
Source: major projects section
10.Which award did Jacques Wirtz receive in 2006?
- A.The Pritzker Architecture Prize
- B.The European Garden Heritage Award
- C.The Royal Horticultural Society Medal
- D.The Golden Medal of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgiumcorrect
In 2006, Jacques Wirtz received the Golden Medal of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts.
Source: awards section
11.Which historical garden designer was Jacques Wirtz compared to upon receiving his 2006 award?
- A.Gertrude Jekyll
- B.Roberto Burle Marx
- C.Frederick Law Olmsted
- D.André Le Nôtrecorrect
Upon receiving the award in 2006, Jacques Wirtz was compared to André Le Nôtre, William Kent, and Lancelot 'Capability' Brown.
Source: awards section
12.In what year did Jacques Wirtz die?
- A.2018correct
- B.2014
- C.2020
- D.2016
Jacques Wirtz passed away on 21 July 2018.
Source: death section
13.What project in England was renovated by the firm of Jacques Wirtz in 2001?
- A.Windsor Castle
- B.Kew Gardens
- C.Alnwick Castlecorrect
- D.Hampton Court Palace
Jacques Wirtz's firm completed the renovated garden at Alnwick Castle in 2001.
Source: major projects section
14.How many children did Jacques Wirtz have?
- A.Five
- B.Fourcorrect
- C.Three
- D.Two
The text states that Jacques Wirtz had four children.
Source: family and firm section
15.What is the primary philosophy of Jacques Wirtz regarding garden design?
- A.Prioritizing exotic plants over native species
- B.Maximizing the use of concrete and industrial materials
- C.Imposing a bold, modern signature on the land
- D.Preserving and enhancing the spirit of placecorrect
Jacques Wirtz believed gardens should preserve and enhance the spirit of place rather than stamping his own mark.
Source: design style section
16.In what city was Jacques Wirtz born?
- A.Vilvoorde
- B.Brussels
- C.Schotencorrect
- D.Antwerp
Jacques Wirtz was born in Schoten, which is described as a suburb of Antwerp.
Source: early life section
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