Ostend - MU.ZEE - Jean Brusselmans
22/03/2011Jean Brusselmans
09 april 2011 - 04 april 2011
Jean Brusselmans's oeuvre seems to be a well-kept secret among art lovers. His style is unique and his work shows great autonomy, but at the same time it is deeply humane and uncompromising. A contemporary of Constant Permeke and Edgard Tytgat and a fellow student of Rik Wouters, he occupies a singular place in Belgian art from the period between the two world wars.
In addition to a number of drawings and watercolours, around fifty paintings have been selected. The emphasis is on the 1930s, the period in which Brusselmans's style and compositions reached their peak, plus a few works from the 1920s and 1940s. His own personal environment was his source of inspiration and was easy for Brusselmans to convert to geometrical forms. He considered that nature was a 'wonderful mathematical monument'. A striking element is the way he repeats themes, emphasising the way he constantly sought to show an image from a different angle or at a different point in time. Even today Brusselmans continues to inspire young artists. The exhibition hosts four modern artists too: Francis Picabia, Manfred Pernice, Rodney Graham and Marcel Broodthaers.
Jean Brusselmans is the first major solo exhibition in over 30 years, put together by the curator Phillip van den Bossche and visual artist Koenraad Dedobbeleer.
More information: www.kunstmuseumaanzee.be
Image: Jean Brusselmans, De storm, 1938. Collectie Mu.ZEE, Oostende. Foto : Steven Decroos © SABAM 2011
