James Ensor and Stillife in Belgium: 1830-1930: Rose, Rose, Rose a mes yeux

James Ensor's work is an important part of the development of still life in Belgium between 1830 and 1930. This book offers an overview of the nineteenth-century Belgian academic tradition of decorative painting, with intriguing work by lesser-known painters such as Jean Robie, Hubert Bellis, Frans Mortelmans, and Henri De Braekeleer. In the early twentieth century, artists such as Louis Thevenet continued to develop the genre, while innovators such as James Ensor, Léon Spilliaert, Marthe Donas, Walter Vaes, and Gustave Van de Woestyne created highly personal interpretations.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 13 February 2024
Publisher: Yale University Press

Belgian expressionist and symbolist painter James Ensor's (1860–1949) work featured still life in a significant way. When viewed in the context of the genre's development in Belgium between 1830 and 1930, the quality and importance of his intricately complex still lifes become evident.

The book provides an overview of the Belgian academic tradition of decorative painting in the 19th century, featuring the work of lesser-known painters such as Jean Robie, Hubert Bellis, Frans Mortelmans, and Henri De Braekeleer, as well as forgotten female artists such as Berthe Art and Alice Ronner.

In the early 20th century, artists such as Louis Thevenet continued to develop the genre of still life in a traditional manner, while innovators such as the late James Ensor, Léon Spilliaert, Marthe Donas, Walter Vaes, and Gustave Van de Woestyne created highly personal interpretations.

This book is published in conjunction with the first exhibition ever dedicated to James Ensor's still lifes at Mu.ZEE (Ostend).

Distributed for Mercatorfonds

Exhibition Schedule:

Mu.ZEE, Ostend, Belgium
(December 16, 2023–April 14, 2024)

Weight: 788g
Dimension: 216 x 261 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300273199