BELGIAN ART 1880 - 1930: Masterpieces of Avant-Garde

BELGIAN ART 1880 –1930 MASTERPIECES OF THE AVANT-GARDE

It is with great pleasure that WhItfOrd fIne Art can look

In the small artistic village of sint-Martens-Latem, outside

back on its active involvement in Belgian Art of the last 25 years.

Ghent, new movements, rooted in native country traditions,

In a collaborative effort with frAncIs MAere fIne Arts from

emerged. stern, severe expressions of flemish country-life were

Ghent, Belgium, Whitford fine Art is hosting an exhibition of

depicted by Gustave Van de Woestyne in a manner equal to

Belgian Masterpieces illustrating the depth and quality of

‘neue sachlichkeit’. Georges Minne on the other hand was

Belgian Art during the period 1880-1930.

associated with the Vienna secessionists. contacts with

Belgium’s geographical situation has made it a forum of

Germany paved the way to the movement of flemish

international artistic exchange throughout the centuries. As

expressionism, pioneered by constant Permeke, Gust de smet

early as the 14th century, Jan Van eyck perfected the oil

and frits Van den Berghe during the late 1910s and early 1920s.

painting technique, which was eagerly adopted by the Italian

Later flemish expressionists include Albert saverys.

renaissance painters. rulers worldwide collected the flemish

In Antwerp, the advent of Modernism was able to root, and

Primitives, and rubens and Van dyck, rank amongst Belgium’s

brought forth a new movement headed by the brothers floris

finest Baroque exports.

and Oscar Jespers.

during 1880-1930, Belgium earned international recognition

not belonging to any movement as such, and being the

again with several art movements, representing the

absolute pioneer of Belgian art of that period was James ensor.

quintessential Belgian spirit of transforming an outside

his painting is incomparable and his genius ranks among that

influence into a unique style of their own. having developed

of the absolute great masters of art history.

more or less simultaneously, these movements can be grouped in three dominant schools.

the exhibition includes paintings, drawings and sculpture by James ensor, emile claus, Georges Lemmen, Georges Minne,

Brussels as an art centre was built on its strong ties with

Anna de Weert, Gustave Van de Woestyne, Léon and Gustave

france. here artists from all over the country gathered in search

de smet, frits Van den Berghe, edgard tytgat, Albert saverys,

for innovation in painting, headed by the group ‘Les XX’. Painters

floris Jespers, Paul delvaux and emile Poetou.

such as théo van rysselberghe, Georges Lemmen, Modeste

A selection of this exhibition shall also be exhibited alongside

huys and Léon de smet combined the influences of the fauves

works of the Belgian Post-War avant-garde at the MAsterPIece

and of Impressionism. emile claus arrived at a particular form

Art fair , London, 26th June – 2nd July 2014, stand no. A5.

of the study of light for its own sake, named Luminism.

Gustave De sMet (1877 – 1943) Farming Life, 1928 (detail). Oil on canvas, 89.5 x 116.5 cm

Frits vaN DeN BerGHe (1883 – 1939) The Domain of Love, 1929. Oil on canvas, 118,5 x 92 cm

Frits vaN DeN BerGHe (1883- 1939) The Seven Deadly Sins, 1926. Gouache, 56 x 44 cm

Floris JesPers (1889 – 1965) Little Girl, 1924. Mixed media, 72 x 56 cm

Paul DelvauX (1897 – 1994) La Loge, 1964. Ink and wash, 56 x 78 cm

aNNa De Weert (1867 – 1950) Poppies, 1916. Oil on canvas, 53 x 42 cm

eMile Claus (1849 – 1924) Two Girls in the Fields, 1894. Oil on canvas, 75 x 120 cm

JaMes eNsor (1860 – 1949) Judas Flinging the Pieces of Silver into the Temple, 1880. Oil on canvas, 66.5 x 57 cm FronT cover: Gustave vaN De WoestYNe (1881 – 1947) Young Woman with a rose, 1937. Oil on canvas, 120 x 100 cm

Gallery exhibition 6th June – 11th July 2014

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