Winter 2021 Exhibition Catalogue

Catalogue 

Winter 2021 

Galerie St-John 

st-john.be 

Galerie St-John – info@st-john.be – 09/225.82.62 

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Pre versus Post War Art: 

the eternal quest of being ‘modern’. 

We bring you our online catalogue for the winter exhibition of 2021. More than 270 pages of 

photographs and information, travelling through art history, showing discoveries we have 

made over the course of this year. 

The first block starts with a decorative painting of the 18 th century, to ‘walk’ from the middle 

of the 19 th century towards the beginning of the 20 th century. 

We exhibit quality romantic paintings with amongst others Nicaise De Keyser, Petrus Van 

Schendel and interesting genre paintings. We show two rediscovered works: one realist fine 

painting by Emile Claus from 1879 (Au Cabaret) and an early symbolist-impressionist work 

by Gustave De Smet. Star of the show is undoubtedly the impressive bronze by Domien 

Ingels, the monumental ‘Prancing Stallion’ from 1924, kept in the same family collection for 

generations. The bronze was photographed for the Ingels monography in 1927 and was then 

one of only two casts made. Do not forget to marvel at the collection of Frans Masereel prints 

from the Lucie Lava collection: rare period prints which are very difficult to find. It is our 

way to commemorate the 50 th anniversary of the passing away of the most internationally 

well-known artist from Gent. 

The post-war period explores modern figuration over constructivist art and pop art to new 

realism and Neue Wilden. 

We introduce you to two exceptional works by Victor Lorein. Although the artist is mostly 

referred to as an expressionist painter, these works painted in 1949 and 1950, have more in 

common with post-war art. True modernism is embraced in the unique collection of 5 works 

by Philippe Morel de Boucle Saint-Denis, in which figuration slowly dissolves into colours 

and contours. We show a magnificent brutalist sculpture of 1963 by Paul Van Gysegem, from 

the collection of Belgian writer Jef Geeraerts, which used to be displayed in his living room. 


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Abstract art and new figuration of the 1970’s feature along a small but interesting collection 

of 1970’s prints. We offer a large scale work by Philippe Vandenberg from 1982 for sale, a 

masterpiece of his early ‘Neue Wilden’ period. 

Thus our catalogue will bring to you the ‘fleur de sel’ of 2021 or those art works that 

surfaced, caught our eye and stood out, our ‘Fil de Conducteur’ being quality. 

We end with some wise words of the legendary music teacher Nadia Boulanger (in Kendall 

A., The Tender Tyrant Nadia Boulanger, London, Macdonald and Jane’s, 1976): 

“If we put from us the works of the Past, and deny ourselves the emotions they diffuse, 

we are in fact denying the possibility of survival to contemporary art.” 

“ If we diminish their power, we diminish that of art in general, for nothing could be 

reborn from the destruction. But to stop dead so as only to contemplate what has been is just 

as great a mistake.” 

“Now, two opposite phenomena occur: either an exaggerated tendency to look upon 

our own epoch as decadent; or a propensity – no less exaggerated – to consider as 

worthwhile only that which is being produced at the present time. The infinite variety in life 

dominates these anxieties, and gives each event more real greatness and less exterior 

importance. That which is sincere, that which is beautiful, does not become petrified.” 

The way Nadia Boulanger sees it, Alan Kendall explains, is that we cannot and must not deny 

the present. To live only in the past is to deny that anything can survive from our age. But to 

live solely in the present is, in her opinion, equally dangerous. 

So hence this catalogue, divided into two groups, to be visited upon like the movement of a 

pendulum, back and forth, so that the two halves make a whole, one explaining and giving 

meaning to the other. 

Enjoy. 

Raf Steel - Emmy Steel 

* In advance to your visit, you can always contact us to prepare the necessary information you desire on 

the specific artist or object of your choosing. 

* For clients who prefer a visit by appointment, please contact us by telephone to arrange a private 

viewing. 


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Foto: PuurGent – Lauwrence Schoonbroodt 


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Please note: 

All works illustrated are for sale, save for the supplementary documentary photographs or 

documents, unless otherwise stated. 

Dimensions are noted as: height x width x depth and in centimetres. 

Please contact us for prices. 

We can provide you with additional information through photographs or video chat. 

We can provide you with specific shipping quotes. Works can also be collected at the gallery 

or delivered by us at your doorstep. 

Upon request, we can provide a preliminary condition report, but please bear in mind that we 

are not professional restorers and that we cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of our 

assessment of the condition of a work. If needed, a professional restorer can be asked to make 

a condition report, however this will not be free of charge. 


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Galerie Sint-John 

2021 

Des œuvres avant 1940 

Gand, Hiver 


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Albert Abramovitz (Riga 1879 – New York 1963) 

Ostende, ca. 1914-1915 

Oil on canvas laid down on cardboard 

40,5 x 61 cm 

Signed bottom left ‘Abramovitz’ 

Provenance: 

Jan De Clerck (painter) 

Bibliography: 

Catalogue Belgian Exhibition of Modern Art, Kingston-upon-Thames, Municipal Art Gallery, 

march 1915, cat. nr. 1 

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Albert Abramovitz was born in Riga and studied at the Academy of Odessa. In the beginning 

of the 20th century he moved to Paris and studied at the ‘La Grande Chaumière’ Academy. 

Abramovitz started to exhibit at the Salon d’Automne in 1911. Probably around 1913-14 he 

came to Belgium, and with the outbreak of the war he sought refuge in England. The 

inclusion of his work at the exhibition of Belgian artist could point out that he had strong 

contacts in the Belgian art world. In 1916 Abramovitz emigrated to the U.S. where he had a 

brilliant career as an artist and a printmaker. Especially famed for his woodcuts, he was also 

praised for his peculiar painting technique. His work is in the collections of the British 

Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Smithsonian. This painting belonged to the 

collection of painter Jan De Clerck, who also exhibited at the exhibition in England in 1915, 

where he probably acquired the work. 


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Eugène Boudin (Honfleur 1824 - Deauville 1898) 

Vaches au bord de la Touques, ca. 1881-1888 

Oil on panel 

21 x 32,8 cm 

Signed bottom right ‘E. Boudin’ 

Provenance: Félix Gérard Fils, Paris. ; 

Sale Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 4/03/1920 

private collection, France 

Sale Arles, 11/07/1993 

private collection, France 

Bibliography: 

Schmit Robert et Manuel, Eugène Boudin 1824-1898 - catalogue raisonné des peintures 

d’Eugène Boudin – Deuxième Supplément, Paris, Ed. Galerie Schmit, 1993, p. 39, n° 3947 

with illustration. 

Boudin has been intrigued by painting landscapes and rural life throughout his career although 

these works might be less well known than his marines, beach scenes and market scenes. He 

often returned to the banks of the river La Touques, which flows into sea at Deauville / Trouville 

sur Mer. This idyllic rural area displaced the painter into a completely different world within 

walking distance of his home in Deauville. Boudin would paint women doing the laundry there, 

a theme that has bewildered him for more than twenty years. During the period 1881 to around 

1888, Boudin has been fascinated by the cattle on the banks of the river . This resulted in a 

number of studies and a group of, often small, oil paintings on panel. Boudin used his 

impressionistic painting technique and colours to update this age old genre subject. 


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Frederick Lee Bridell (Southampton 1830 – Kensington (London) 1863) 

Dawn at Mayence on the Rhine, 1861 

Oil on canvas 

49 x 99,5 cm 

Signed and dated bottom right ‘Fredk. Lee Bridell 1861’ 

Provenance: 

Christie’s, London 

private collection 

With an old catalogue label at the back of the stretcher. 

Frederick Lee Bridell was born in Southampton and started his career as a local portrait 

painter. His talent was spotted by an art dealer who sent him to the Continent to copy old 

master paintings. Bridell has stayed in Paris for some time and moved on to München but 

came back to England in 1855. Four years later, the artist went to Rome, where he met and 

married his wife, Eliza Fox, also a painter, in 1859. Bridell contracted Tbc and died in 1863, 

only 32 years old. Considering that he started exhibiting in 1851, his body of works remains 

small. Paintings by the artist belong to the collections of the Tate Gallery in London and the 

Southampton City Art Gallery, as well as 6 more public collections in the United Kingdom. 

Apart from the early portraits, Bridell was known primarily as a landscape painter, and 

excelled in the depiction of atmospheric landscapes with dramatic skies. This painting from 

1861 shows the artist at his peak. 


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Emile Claus (Sint-Eloois-Vijve 1849 - Astene 1924) 

Au Cabaret, 1879 

Oil on panel 

23,5 x 36 cm 

Signed bottom left: ‘Emiel Claus’ 

Dated bottom left: ‘79’ for 1879 

Emile Claus studied at the Antwerp Academy, which was at that time considered to be one of 

the most important and influential academies in Europe. He became a star pupil and was 

much in demand for painting portraits of the Antwerp high society. 

But Claus was much more interested in painting the life and work of the ‘ordinary’ man. 

Realist literature and the influence of Constantin Meunier, Bastien-Lepage and other realist 

painters made him shift his attention to naturalistic genre painting. 


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In 1880 Emile Claus showed a watercolour titled “Au cabaret” at the Salon of Gent and at the 

Cercle Artistique et Littéraire in Brussels. Luckily for us critics reviewed the exhibitions and 

Théo Hanon described the watercolour in vivid detail upon seeing it at the Gent Salon: 

“ […] Emile Claus, encore un vaillant des Water-colours, exhibe un 

rutilant souvenir de son voyage en Algérie […] Cette excursion au pays 

du Simoun ne lui a pas fait oublier les bons types de Flandre, si originaux 

dans leur épaisseur d’allures caractéristiques. Il nous présente Au cabaret, 

un vieil habitué en lunettes bleues, nu-crâne, abimé dans la lecture du 

Landbouw, son journal favori. Près du verre de blonde Uytzet pyramide 

son chapeau, un tromblon velu qui vaut tout un poème. » 

Exerpt from : Johan De Smet, Il recrée les yeux et le goût : Emile Claus in het 

kunstleven van zijn tijd, doctoraat Kunstwetenschappen Universiteit Gent, 2009 


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The description of the watercolour matches exactly our painting. It was not uncommon for 

Claus to paint different versions of the same theme, sometimes in different sizes, sometimes 

in different media. It seems that the watercolour was painted after the oil painting which is 

dated 1879. In this small work, Claus shows us how good a painter he had become. The 

rendering of the printed paper in mirror writing is a ‘tour de force’ (we show the mirrored 

image of the painting on the previous page!) and the way he paints the different materials 

around the protagonist is perfect. We already perceive Claus’ attention to light, filtering 

through the window and enlivening the scene, creating different effects on different materials. 


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Oscar Coddron (Gent 1881 - Deurle 1960) 

Autumn in Flanders, November 1916 

Oil on canvas 

111 x 74,5 cm 

Signed bottom left ‘Coddron’ and dated on the back of the strecher 

Provenance: private collection 

Oscar Coddron was born in Gent in 1881. He was educated at the Gent Academy of Fine Arts, 

where he came into contact with Robert Aerens, Albert Servaes, Domien Ingels, Guillaume 

Montobio and Leon de Smet. Coddron probably made his debut in the 1904 group exhibition 

in the Gent 'Cercle Artistique et Littéraire'. His fellow exhibitors included the brothers Gust 

and Leon De Smet, Frits Van Den Berghe, Robert Aerens and Clement De Porre. 

In 1907 he finished second in the competition for the "Rome Prize". In this period, Coddron's 

style was close to that of Emile Claus. His works can clearly be placed within luminism, but 

the artist interprets it in his,own way. The figure is sometimes given a prominent place. 

Coddron's use of colour is more modern and is closer to the early work of Van den Berghe 

and Gust De Smet than to the work of Claus. 

As a young artist, Coddron travelled to the Netherlands, Italy and France. He settled 

permanently in Sint-Martens-Latem around 1918. 


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During the war, Coddron evolved towards a more expressive painting style. In 1926 Oscar 

Coddron exhibited together with Anna De Weert and Madeleine van Thorenburg, in the Gent 

'Cercle Artistique'. Throughout the 1920s, Oscar Coddron has built up a good reputation, 

which was also praised outside Gent. Mario de Marchi wrote in 1929: 

“M. Coddron a une palette aux expressions très différenciées. Il aime 

traiter ses sujets en manière décorative et son désir de synthèse lui fait 

ordonner sobrement les accessories de sa composition. Tout cela est un 

métier soigné qui n'aura rien d'éphémère. C’est de plus un artiste très 

original.” 

Between 1937 and 1939 Oscar Coddron was appointed director of the Gent Academy, where 

he himself had been a student. The second world war, however, forced him to resign. Oscar 

Coddron’s works are in numerous private collections and are in the collections of the 

museums of Tournai and Deinze. 


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Oscar Coddron (Gent 1881 - Deurle 1960) 

The river Leie in winter, 1917 

Oil on canvas 

101 x 100 cm 

Signed and dated bottom right ‘Coddron / 1917’ 



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Nicaise De Keyser (Zandvliet 1813 – Antwerpen 1887) 

Le Moine quêteur, 1842 and 1852 

Oil on panel 

42 x 32,5 cm 

Signed and dated bottom left ‘NDeKeyser 1842 & 52’ 

Provenance: 

Successsion Van Geetruyen 


At the back with an old sales catalogue label and wax seals of the ‘succession Van Geetruyen’ and ‘Jules De 

Brauwere / Expert /Bruxelles’, the latter probably the author of the text on the label. (see next page) 

We often forget how famous some Belgian artist from the 19 th century were during their 

lifetime. Nicaise De Keyser was one of the most sought after artists of his generation. He 

worked for Royals, rich merchants and important collectors all over the Western Hemisphere. 

And of course he was the author of one of the first depictions of the ‘Battle of the Spurs’, 

making him famous overnight. 

De Keyser was by no means a ‘Flemish artist’, but belonged to what can be seen as an 

international group of artists, painting romantic themes in a highly perfectionist realist style. 

De Keyser was well travelled and treated a broad spectrum of subjects. The ‘collecting monk’ 

was probably made after a sketch made in Italy. In his catalogue raisonné, Henri Heymans 

cites ‘Le Moine quêteur’ as painted in 1841. We were not able to locate the work of 1841 nor 

the engraving after the work made by artist Joseph Bal, so as to see how or if our version 

differs from the 1841 (or 1842?) version. According to an old sales catalogue (?) label at the 

back, our version – albeit initially dating from 1842 – was the original study for the large 

version of ‘Le Moine quêteur’, which was reworked by de Keyser in 1852 for the collector 

Van Geetruyen: 

« […] Cette œuvre charmante, de la plus grande finesse d’exécution, était 

primitivement l’étude d’un grand tableau fait par l’artiste en 1842. Elle fut terminée 

pour Mr. Van Geetruyen et fut vendue à la vente de ce dernier » 


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Leonard De Koningh (London 1810 – Dordrecht 1887) 

The bagpipe player 

Oil on canvas 

66 x 53 cm 

Signed on the side of the staircase, possibly strengthened ‘L de Koningh’ 

Provenance: private collection, Brussels (acquired in 1930) 

Hence by descent 

Leonard De Koningh (also called Leendert II) was a pupil of his father, Leendert (1777- 

1849), who primarily painted landscapes and seascapes. He specialised in watercolours and 

was also a prolific lithograph. Leonard followed in his father’s footsteps, making a living out 

of the creation of lithographs, as well as by teaching drawing in Dordrecht. Leonard soon 

started to paint genre scenes, which from the 1840’s onwards became popular with the new 

breed of collectors. This genre scene is one of the most sought after representations by the 

artist. A similar work, but of lesser quality, belongs to the Dordrechts Museum and is dated 

1844. 


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Hubert de Lyoncourt (active ca. 1869-1883) 

Aven Valley, Castle Hénant in the distance (Brittany) 

Oil on canvas 

55,5 x 101 cm 

Signed with the monogram LH interlaced and possibly dated 1874 (?) bottom left. 

At the back of the canvas signed and with the artist’s London address and titled. 

Hubert de Lyoncourt, who signed this work at the back as Baron H. de Lyoncourt, is a 

mysterious artist. We know he had a London address: 1, Albion Road St-John’s Wood, which 

we find in the Royal Academy catalogues of 1874 and 1883. De Lyoncourt also exhibited at 

the Royal Academy in 1873. At these occasions, the artist also exhibited views from Brittany. 

de Lyoncourt is also known as a painter of views of the isle of Guernsey. 

The present panoramic view shows the Château de Hénant, in Névez near Pont-Aven, a 16 th 

century manoir with a very identifiable tower. A very similar but smaller view with the Hénant 

castle in the distance (in winter) belongs to the Southampton City Art Gallery. Works by the 

artist are to be found in the collection of the Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery. 


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Gustave De Smet (Gent 1877-Deurle 1943) 

St-Peter’s and St-Paul’s church of Bachte-Maria-Leerne, ca.1906-08 

Oil on panel 

29,5 x 44,5 cm 

Signed bottom right with the monogram‘GDS’ 


This work is sold with a certificate by Mr. Piet Boyens 

Gustave De Smet frequently wandered along the river Leie in search of subjects to 

paint. This work depicts the St-Peter’s and St-Paul’s church at Bachte-Maria-Leerne, 

next to the river Leie. Today the only building still standing is the church, the houses 

on the painting having all been replaced by new structures. The chapel at the side 

with the Calvary is still in place. De Smet paints the church windows in their 18 th 

century form. From 1900-1902 onwards extensive rebuilding took place and amongst 

others the 18 th century windows were replaced by gothic revival pointed arch 

windows. 

This might have been one of the reasosn why Gustave decided to paint the chapel: 

to preserve the view for posterity. 


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Gustave De Smet (Gent 1877-Deurle 1943) 

Farm with haystack, 1914 

Gouache on paper 

35 x 47 cm 

Signed and dated bottom right ‘Gustave De Smet / 1914’ 

Provenance: private collection, Gent 

This work is sold with a certificate by Mr. Piet Boyens 

It is no exaggeration to state that the young Gust De Smet was greatly influenced by the 

teachings of Jean Delvin, director of the Gent Academy. He encouraged his students to study 

modern art, without losing sight of the ‘classics’ and brought them into contact with the 

avant-garde art of the moment. Instigated by his teachings, De Smet quickly evolved from a 

symbolist towards a native impressionist style. The luminism of Emile Claus and of course of 

his brother Leon De Smet, led the artist into making colourful , even vivid impressionist 

works between 1905 and 1909. After a ‘flirt’ with fauvism around 1910-12, De Smet came 

under the influence of the non-compromising style of painting practised by Alfons Dessenis 

and Albert Servaes in St-Martens-Latem. De Smet began distancing himself from 

Impressionism. Searching for structure, possibly with the work by Albert Servaes in mind, 

and working with broad coloured surfaces instead of an impressionist touch, the artist 

unconsciously prepared his transition to expressionism, which fully developed during his 

exile in the Netherlands. 


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Jules De Sutter (Gent 1895 - Sint-Martens-Latem 1970) 

The girl in white, 1928 


61 x 43 cm 

Signed and dated bottom left ‘Desutter / 28’ 

Provenance: 

Albert Saverys 

Thence by descent, Art market Brussels 

Jules De Sutter studied at the Academy of Fine Arts of Gent, where he became a teacher 

later. He was impressed by Gust De Smet and Frits Van den Berghe’s translation of the new 

artistic ideas originating in France and Germany, crystallizing into a powerful and highly 

personal expressionist style. Jules had a long standing friendship with Gust De Smet, of 

whom he made a beautiful portrait in 1928. At that point in time, De Sutter’s expressionist 

style is to be situated between the styles of Van den Berghe and De Smet. 

In 1925 and 1928 the Brussels "Le Centaure" gallery showed De Sutter’s work. His works are 

discussed by the critics in particular in 1928 and he is regarded as one of the most interesting 

young expressionists. The daring and experimental works from this period owe tribute to De 

Smet and Van den Berghe, but De Sutter adds his own narrative and symbolism. 

Works from this period are extremely rare, to present we are only aware of a handful of 

paintings and works on paper from the years '25 -'28, several of which are to be found in 

museum collections. The work shown here belonged to the collection of painter Albert 

Saverys, another close friend of Jules De Sutter, and remained in family ownership until 

recently. 


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Anna De Weert (Gent 1867- 1950) 

Vache dans une prairie, Juin-Juillet 1925 

oil on canvas 

55,5 x 81 cm 

Signed and dated bottom right ‘A De Weert / 1925’ 

Provenance: 

Family of the artist 

Private collection 

At the back: on the canvas “Anna de Weert / Afsnee / Juin -Juillet /1925” 

On the stretcher in pencil: “Vache dans une prairie” 

Exhibition: Exposition – Tentoonstelling Anna De Weert / Domien Ingels, Salle – Loquet -Zaal, Anvers – 

Antwerpen, 5/12-15/12/1925, cat. n° 33 

Anna De Weert was one of Belgium’s most important female native impressionist or luminist 

painters. Not only was she a very good artist, she also relentlessly defended the cause of female 

artists in Belgium and abroad. 

Often considere a pupil of Emile Claus, Anna De Weert only went to study with Claus for a 

couple of weeks during two summers. Her two uncles, Felix and Alfons Cogen, along with 

Armand Heins, Gustave Den Duyts and Désiré De Keghel were her true teachers in the 

beginning of her artistic career. The summers with Claus (between 1893 and 1895) are to be 

seen as master classes, where De Weert, who was already painting impressionist works, could 

finetune her art. 

The largest part of her work was created near the border of the river Leie at Afsnee, where she 

owned “Ter Neuve”, her summer house annex studio. 


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Photograph by the V&A: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1333154/photograph- dupon-josué/ 


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Josué Dupon (Ichtegem 1864 – Berchem 1935) 

A Dachshund playing with a ball, 1908 

Patinated bronze on the original marble base 

39 x 66,5 x 30 cm (with base); 32 x 66,5 x 24 cm (without base) 

Signed and dated at the corner of the bronze base ‘Josue Dupon / 1908’ 

Foundry mark at the short side of the bronze base ‘Fonderie Natle des Bronzes / Ancne firme J. Petermann / St 

Gilles Bruxelles’ 

Provenance: 

Dr. Robert Jacquet, Antwerp 

Thence by descent 

Josué or Josuë Dupon is undoubtedly one of the most important ‘animaliers’ or animal 

sculptors of his generation. Not only was he a highly skilled sculptor, he was also an 

influential teacher, with Alberic Collin, Willy Kreitz and Albert Poels amongst his pupils at 

the Antwerp Academy. His career took off in 1891 with a gold medal at the Brussels Salon. 

Exhibiting both at national and international Salons, he was also active as a medal designer 

and known for his large scale sculptures and monuments. As he frequently worked in the 

Antwerp Zoo, he became one of the best friends of Rembrandt Bugatti as he came to Antwerp 

in 1907. 

Contemporary critics praised his realism and his knowledge of the anatomy of the animals he 

depicted. A photograph of the dachshund on a marble base is held in the collections of the 

Victoria & Albert Museum in London and a smaller example, height 14 cm and apparently 

dated 1906, belongs to the collection of a well-known London Gallery. 


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Maurice Dupuis (Gent 1882 -1959) 

Sea and dunes 

Oil on canvas, laid down on cardboard 

26,5 x 34 cm 

at the back signed ‘MDupuis’ 

Provenance: 

Friend of the artist, acquired from or given by Maurice Dupuis 


Maurice Dupuis is well known for his intimist interiors and his humorous etchings. But 

Dupuis was also a painter very able to depict cities and landscapes, especially in the first half 

of his career. Dupuis had a particular fondness for the North Sea, taking the works of Louis 

Artan and of contemporaries like Henri Permeke as an inspiration. This seascape is boldly 

painted and shows that although Dupuis had a ‘conservative’ reputation, he was not afraid to 

adapt his style in function of the subject. 

In the retrospective exhibition of the work of Dupuis at the Gent Museum of Fine Arts in 

1982, 4 seascapes were shown, of which 3 were not signed. This seascape belonged to a large 

collection of works by the artist, bought by the grandfather of the previous owner directly 

from the artist. 


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Simone Vanderborght (Brussels (?) 1888 – 1969) 

Les deux amies, 1947 

Patinated terracotta on the original custom made wooden base 

Approx. 14 x 40 x 20 cm (with base) 

Signed and dated at the side ‘S. Parmentier / 1947’ 

Also known under the name of ‘Simone Ghysbrecht-Vanderborght’, Simone worked in 

Brussels and made both ‘fine art sculptures’ as well as decorative ceramic art. We know very 

little about the artist and her formation. We know she married a certain Jacques Ghysbrecht in 

1912, thus taking his name, although he died in 1919. She exhibited her work at Le Centaure 

in 1929 to much acclaim. She remarried in 1937 with Fritz Parmentier, and henceforth signed 

her work with ‘Simone Parmentier’. 

Vanderborght only took women as a model for her sculptures. She was known for her oriental 

models (she befriended Adrien Mayeur – de Merprès) and also depicted African women. Her 

sculptures are very sensual and she is a master in displaying natural and fluid poses. 

Vanderborght started as an avant-garde sculptor, but it seems that she remained true to the same 

aesthetic values throughout her career. This terracotta sculpture, probably unique, was made in 

1947 but is close to what the artist made before WW II. 


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Adrien Joseph Heymans (Antwerpen 1839 – Schaarbeek 1921) 

La chaumière du Sabotier 

Oil on canvas 

53 x 91,5 cm 

Signed bottom right ‘A.J. Heymans’ 


It is no exaggeration to consider Heymans as one of the founding fathers of modern Belgian 

painting. After his studies at the Antwerp Academy, he went to Paris in 1855, where he 

befriended a.o. Charles-François Daubigny, Théodore Rousseau and Narcisse Diaz de la Pena. 

Corot became his example to follow. When Heymans returned to Belgium, he was one of the 

central artists in propagating the new (French) style of painting. Heymans was also a central 

figure in the Belgian art scene; as a founding member of ‘Les XX’ and of the later ‘Vie et 

Lumière’, he has never lost contact with young painters, influencing a whole generation of 

landscape painters. 

Heymans work seems very simple and direct. The painter searches to convey the tranquillity 

and the emptiness of the landscapes of the Campines region. His palette evolved from the 

dark ‘Academy’ colours towards the clear and light colours of the impressionist painters. 

Heymans knew the work of Monet, which he studied, he also exhibited with Durand-Ruel, 

and later became influenced by the post-impressionist work of his friend Henry Van de Velde. 

La ‘Chaumière du Sabotier’ is a typical work by Heymans, in showing the Campines as a 

poor region. The painter was not particularly interested in the painting of picturesque views. 

In the work the browns and greens dominate in the foreground and they are strengthened by 

the grey sky. The touch is loose and vigorous, giving life to the otherwise static composition. 


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Domien Ingels (Gent 1881 – Bachte-Maria-Leerne 1946) 

Steigerende Hengst (Prancing Stallion), 1924 

Patinated bronze on the original marble base 

83 x 47 x 45 cm 

Signed on the bronze base ‘Dom Ingels’ 

Foundry mark of ‘Fonderie / Vindevogel’ on the bronze base 

This cast was made before February 1927 

Provenance: 

Van de Putte, Gentbrugge 

private collection (acquired from the above) 

Bibliography: 

Exhibitions: 

Van Beugem Is., Domien Ingels, Tielt, Joris Lannoo, 1927, p. 58 and with an illustration of this 

cast 

XLVe Exposition Salon de 1933 – XLVe Tentoonstelling Salon van 1933, Gand – Gent, Palais 

des Fêtes – Feestpaleis, 1933, cat. nr. 699 ‘Etalon se cabrant (bronze)’ – ‘steigerende hengst 

(brons)’ (this cast or another cast) 

The Prancing Stallion from 1924 is one of the most impressive bronzes conceived by Domien 

Ingels. Whereas the earliest depictions of horses were very static, from the beginning of the 

1920’s onwards Ingels tried to bring movement into his sculptures. The composition is one of 

the best results of the artist’s quest in this respect. 

The subject depicted in this bronze presents a very suggestive image and evokes 

interpretations like the forces of nature who unleash their powers upon men, or reason (men) 

leading and dominating force or emotion (stallion). Apollo and Dionysos in a relentless 

struggle. 


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Isidore Van Beugem describes this sculpture as an example of the recurring predilection for 

the baroque style in Flemish art: 

“Door-en-door Vlaamsch, krachtig, geweldig, massaal als een Rubens” 

and goes on to describe the sculpture itself: 

“Een merrie wacht ter springbalie… De paardenknechten leiden den gichtigen 

hengst naar de balie; ’t zotte geweld slaat op; een snok aan de leikoorden; gekets 

over de kasseisteenen met gensterregen, gevloek; een wild-bronstig wrenschen en 

als een rots verheft de kolos zich op de achterpooten. Manen schudden; spieren 

bollen en ontspannen; de ogen glariën; de neusranden trillen in jacht als 

stoompijpen; de voorpoten gaan als reuzenmokers op en neer. En twee menschen, 

vormend één leven met het uitgebeelde dier-leven, staan er klein, wanhopig-klein. 

[…] ” 

At the time this book was written, only two casts of this sculpture were executed in bronze. It 

was this cast, in a photograph taken at an unknown exhibition of the work of Ingels, possibly 

at an exhibition in Antwerp in 1925, that was chosen to illustrate the model. This means that 

our cast was executed between 1924 and February 1927, one of only two bronze casts made at 

that time. The bronze was cast at the Vindevogel foundry in Zwijnaarde and bears their mark 

on the base of the sculpture. The red marble base is original and helped us identify the cast as 

the cast illustrated in the monography on the artist of 1927. 


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Domien Ingels (Gent 1881 – Bachte-Maria-Leerne 1946) 

Large Head of a Borzoi 

Patinated plaster 

63,5 x 39 x 21 cm 

Signed on the side of the base ‘Dom. Ingels’ 

Domien Ingels owned a borzoi and used him as model for several of his sculptures. The large 

Borzoi in the park in Gent and at the fountain at his home became a trademark sculpture for 

the artist. 

Ingels made several versions of the head of the Borzoi. A smaller version of the head also sits 

on a high, slender base, and a bronze version of this sculpture belonged to the etcher Jules De 

Bruycker. 

This large, monumental version is up to this date the only one we know of that came onto the 

art market in recent years. It was conceived in the 1930’s and shows the influence of 

modernist sculpture on the work of Ingels. 


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Gustave Kasteleyn (Gent 1848 – 1900) 

The dangerous box, 1878 

Terracotta 

23 x 45,5 x 26 cm 

Signed and dated on one of the corners “G Kasteleyn / Gand 1878’ 

Numerous restorations and damages 

This unique, hand crafted terracotta sculpture carries more than one mystery. 

First of all it is a subject that is very unusual for Kasteleyn. The sculptor, 30 years old in 

1878, just landed a position as a director of the Academy at Nevele near Gent. Most of his 

sculptures are in keeping with the fashion and subjects of the academic school. This ‘Singerie’ 

is the only work by the artist we know of, dealing with this subject. Its style is very modern, 

not at all polished and gives the impression of a sculpture that was done in a moment of 

inspiration. Could this be a simple ‘singerie’ as seen in paintings by some of his 

contemporaries? Or could this work be a critique on a something that occurred in 1878? 

While the other monkeys are looking at the box, the central monkey with the top hat is on the 

verge of opening it. Another monkey is reading a newspaper, oblivious of what is happening 

around him. Could this be a reference to the landslide victory of the Liberal party over the 

Catholics in 1878? 


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Georges Lemmen (Schaarbeek 1865 - Ukkel 1916) 

Le Chapeau bleu, 1905 

Oil on cardboard 

43,5 x 28,5 cm 

Monogram signature and date top right 

Exhibiton: Exposition Georges Lemmen, Paris, Galerie Druet, 05/12- 

19/12/1906, cat. N° 30 

Provenance: Henri Hamm, Paris (a gift of the artist in 1906) 

Sale Millon-Robert, Paris, 25/06/1999, lot 120 


Undoubtably one of the most appreciated of Belgian impressionists, Lemmen needs no 

introduction. 

In 1905 Lemmen was invited by the Parisian gallery of René Druet to hold a one man show, 

the first in the painter’s career. The show was scheduled at the Galerie Druet at 114, Faubourg 

Saint-Honoré in Paris. The immense importance of such an exhibition put the painter under a 

lot of pressure. As Lemmen relates to fellow painter Willy Finch in a letter of the 17 th of 

November: 

«En octobre, fatigué par un travail sans relâche, je me suis si énervé et si irritable que 

j’ai écrit à Druet que je renonçais à exposer […] Druet m’a simplement remis à 

décembre et il a bien fait […] J’avoue que certains de mes navets, encadrés, font un 

effet épatant » 

Lemmen’s one man show took place from 5 to 9 December. In total the painter showed 81 

works, some of which were not for sale but on loan from the artist’s friends, collectors or 

critics (a.o. Maurice Denis and Octave Maus). The show encountered a huge critical success. 

Octave Maus wrote in L’Art Moderne: 


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« Il [Lemmen] est de la famille spirituelle des Vuillard, des Bonnard […] Pour la première 

fois, M. Lemmen rassemble un ensemble aussi considérable de ses œuvres. On sait combien 

les épreuves de ce genre sont périlleuses. Seuls les artistes solidement armés en triomphent. 

Et c’est, pour celui que nous occupe, une victoire décisive. » 

Maus of course was a close friend of the artist, but even the important and influential critic 

Louis Vauxcelles was enthusiastic: 

« M. Lemmen conquerra ici un succès du meilleur aloi » 

Druet was also pleased. In the first 8 days of the show, 13 works were sold. 

Le Chapeau bleu and its first owner, Henry Hamm 

One of the works on display in the Druet show was Le Chapeau bleu (number 30 of the 

catalogue), not to be confused with the work Femme au Chapeau bleu which was owned by 

Octave Maus. It was admired by Henry Hamm (1871-1961). Hamm was trained as a sculptor 

at the Academy in Bordeaux, but lived and worked already in Paris in 1902. Crucially, he was 

one of the founding members of the Salon d’Automne in 1903 with Frantz Jourdain, Eugène 

Carrière and Georges Rouault. Thus Hamm became a very important figure in the Parisian art 

world. The sculptor was also very much interested in the development of modern applied arts 

and maybe this is how he became a close friend of George Lemmen, also an artist active both 

in the ‘fine’ arts and in the ‘applied’ arts. Hamm today is more known for his beautiful art 

nouveau combs and jewels (often sculpted in horn) and less for his sculptural works. 

In a letter dated the 20 th of December 1906 (a day after the closure of the exhibition) Lemmen 

wrote to Hamm: 


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« Mon cher Hamm, Voici mon exposition terminée et il m’est permis de disposer de mes 

œuvres : c’est dire que je pense à vous. Je prie donc M. Druet de vous remettre le n° 30 

qui, si mon souvenir est bon, vous plaisait […] » 

This number refers to the painting Le Chapeau bleu. Apparently the painting remained with 

Hamm during his lifetime. Hamm was very pleased with it and in a token of gratitude, he sent 

Lemmen two works of his own. Lemmen wrote to Hamm: 

« Mon cher Hamm, je suis en possession de votre splendide cadeau et ne saurais assez 

vous dire combien il m’enchante ! Les deux objets sont du goût le plus sûr et le plus fin 

[…] » 

Le Chapeau bleu is a work highlighting the quality and relevance of the work Lemmen made 

in the years 1904-1907. This mysterious portrait is indeed close to the intimism and symbolism 

of the post -1900 work of the Nabis. 


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Georges Lemmen (Schaarbeek 1865 - Ukkel 1916) 

Still life with flowers and fruits, 1912 

Oil on canvas 

70 x 84 cm 

Monogram signature and date top right ‘GL /1912’ 

Provenance: 

collection of George Morren, Bruxelles 

collection architect Henri Vaerwyck (-Suys) (1880-1962), Gent 


Still life painting was one of the genres that Lemmen practised throughout his short career to 

great esteem. Lemmen was able to show off his talent as a colourist, making each still life a 

feast for the eyes. This still life seems to be painted outdoors, with a backdrop of trees and the 

sea, in an evening sun. 

At the back of the original frame and on the stretcher, there is written “Mr. Morren” and ‘rue 

Monastère, 28’. This is almost certain the indication that the painter George Morren was one 

of the former owners of the painting. Morren’s Brussels’ address was ‘rue du Monastère’ and 

he lived there from 1909 onwards. On 12/11/1920 the house number changed from ‘44’ to 

‘28’ and it remained this number until 14/10/1930. This means that Morren probably acquired 

the painting somewhere between 1920 and 1930, or that he acquired the work before 1920, 

but had it reframed between 1920 and 1930. 


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The painter George Morren (1868-1941) was one of our most important (post)impressionist 

painters. He befriended Emile Claus, Henry Van de Velde, Theo Van Rysselberghe, Georges 

Lemmen, etc. and numerous French impressionist and post-impressionist painters. Morren 

came from a wealthy family, was a prominent member of ‘Kunst Van Heden’ in Antwerp and 

a very important collector owning works by all the important Belgian painters, but also works 

by Toulouse-Lautrec, Boudin etc. The Morrens were also good friends of the Lemmens, and 

in 1913 Morren invited Lemmen and his wife to stay with him in his house near Paris. It is 

also striking that the still lifes that Morren painted are often very close to those of Lemmen. 

After Morren’s death in 1941, his second wife started to sell off his art collection, and this 

work was bought by architect Henri Vaerwyck-Suys where it remained in his descendance. 


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Charles Leplae (Leuven 1903 – Ukkel 1961) 

La robe en dentelle, 1934-1935 

Patinated bronze 

Height 40,5 cm 

Signed on the base “Leplae” and dated “35”. 

Foundry mark “Susse Fondeur Paris” at the side of the base 

According to the Ixelles catalogue of 1977, 5 casts were made of this sculpture. Our cast is numbered in roman 

ciphers “IV/VIII” on the base. 

Provenance: 


Bibliography: 

Fierens P., Charles Leplae, Bruxelles-Paris, Ed. Marion, 1941, illustration 26 (another 

cast) 

Exhibition catalogue Charles Leplae, Ixelles, Musée d’Ixelles, 24/02-20/03/1977, cat. 

N° 6 (illustration of another cast) 

Charles Leplae obtained a law degree, but finally found his vocation as a sculptor studying at 

the Leuven Academy. He then went to study with Charles Despiau in Paris, who had a notable 

influence on the young artist. Leplae moved between the avant-garde and so-called animist 

cercles in pre- and post-war Belgium. Leplae always remained dedicated to the figurative in 

sculpture and strived to create a new sculptural language, indebted to the great classical 

tradition. 


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Marcel Leprin (Cannes 1891 – Paris 1933) 

La rue St-Jean et la Place St-Pierre à Caen, 1930. 

Oil on canvas 

55 x 46 cm 

Signed bottom right ‘Leprin’. 

Exhibition: 

Possibly Galerie Druet, Paris, exhibition Marcel Leprin, December 1930 (without catalogue). 

Provenance: 

Acquired at the Galerie Druet, Paris in 1931 for 1000,- frcs by Marcel Wolfers and Clairette 

Petrucci 

Marcel Wolfers and Clairette Petrucci collection 


Marcel Leprin was a remarkable figure. First sailor, then bullfighter apprentice (!) and active 

as a painter of mural decorations in bars and cafés in Marseille, the young Leprin arrived in 

Paris in 1921 with nothing but his talent. He started painting views of the city, especially 

Montmartre. By 1924, his friend, the frame maker Henri Bureau, introduced the artist to 

possible collectors and dealers and placed Leprin under contract. Leprin’s first solo exhibition 

took place at Galerie Berthe Weil in 1925. 

His subjects and his way of life have often led to comparisons with Maurice Utrillo, although 

stylistically the two artist are difficult to compare. As soon as his financial situation had 

become better, the painter started to travel across France to paint. In 1928, the best works he 

painted in 1926 and 1927 were exhibited in the Galerie Druet, to much critical acclaim. The 

works were considered well drawn and the palette of the painter had become brighter. 


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In December 1930, Leprin had a second exhibition at Galerie Druet, through mediation of 

Bureau. Again the show encountered great success and his views of the city of Caen gained 

much praise. 

In 1931 Leprin travelled through Normandy in search of subjects for his paintings. But a 

series of setbacks pushed the painter into despair and he started drinking and doing drugs. 

When he finally arrived in Paris in 1932, Leprin had to be hospitalised. Marcel Leprin died 

the next year, aged only 42. 

Like the rest of the centre of Caen, the rue St-Jean was completely destroyed during the 

Second World War. Only the St-Pierre church was rebuilt as it was, along with some old 

historic houses. The street we see today has been rebuilt after the war, but the shoe shop 

André still has a shop in almost exactly the same spot as on the painting. 


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Victor Lorein (Gent 1894 - Anderlecht 1954) 

Reclining nude (artificial light), 1950 

Oil on canvas 

100 x 150 cm 

Signed bottom right ‘Lorein’ 

Provenance: 

collection Dr. De Biscop 


Bibliography: Dr. Huys P., Kunstschilder Victor Lorein (1895-1954), Gent, Uitgeverij Vyncke, 1965, ill. 11 

p. 37 


Retrospective Exhibition Victor Lorein, Aalst, Museum oud-Hospitaal, 21/01-06/02/1972, cat. 

nr. 39 

Victor Lorein studied at the Gent Academy until 1914. He belongs to the very talented 

generation of painters with Ch-R Callewaert, A. Claeys, J. Bergmans, J. Boulez, A. 

Vereecken and Ev. De Buck, to name the most interesting. Lorein served as a soldier in the 

First World War, but was discharged in 1916 due to mental problems. He joined his elder 

sister in England and went to London where he showed some drawings at the ‘London Group’ 

and with the ‘Allied Artists’. Unfortunately most of these works were lost. 

In the 1920, back in Gent, Lorein exhibited at the Salons and in galleries and was hailed as 

one of the new talents. One of the most important shows was one at the Le Centaure gallery in 

Brussels together with Charles Dufresne. Sales were moderate but good (Lorein sold two 

paintings to the Gent Museum) and in 1930 he received a scholarship which enabled him to 

visit the Netherlands and specifically the work of Rembrandt, Vermeer, Breitner and Jacob 

Maris. Lorein also read extensively on art and was very interested in the work of Courbet, 

Cézanne and in the theoretical work of Da Vinci. 

In the 1930’s Lorein’s mood changed and he started to live more reclusively, destroying a lot 

of his older work and refusing to exhibit his new works. He also left Gent for the Brussels’ 

region and has almost stopped painting for about 15 years. From 1947 until his death Lorein 


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lived in a small village which is now a part of Dilbeek near Brussels. His studio was on the 

loft of a shed, small, dark and inaccessible. As we see in both of our paintings here, Lorein 

experimented with artificial light to create a very specific intimist atmosphere with heavy 

shadows and a yellowish tone. The incredible ease of composition and modelé which the 

painter combines with his singular view on himself in the self-portrait and with the delicate 

way in which the reclining nude is seen, make both works seem classic and modern at the 

same time. 

It was only after his death, thanks to a couple of solo exhibitions at the Vyncke-Van Eyck 

gallery in Gent and after the publication of a monography on Lorein in 1965, that the public 

got to know the works of this very talented but tormented artist. Several works lent to these 

exhibitions belonged to famous collections. Work by Lorein of this quality is difficult to find 

on the art market. 


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Victor Lorein (Gent 1894 - Anderlecht 1954) 

Self-portrait, ca. 1949 

Oil on canvas 

110 x 85 cm 

Signed bottom right ‘Lorein’ 

Provenance: 

collection H. Leten, Gent 

Collection De Pesseroey, Deurle 

Private collection, Gent 

Bibliography : Dr. Huys P., Kunstschilder Victor Lorein (1895-1954), Gent, Uitgeverij Vyncke, 1965, ill. p. 

30 

Retrospective Exhibition Victor Lorein, Aalst, Museum oud-Hospitaal, 21/01-06/02/1972, cat. 

nr. 53, ill. 7 

Exhibitions: Tentoonstelling Scaldis s.l., Provinciebestuur Oost-Vlaanderen, 15/07-23/09/1956, cat. Nr. 19 

60 Kunstenaars Latem […], Kerk Vinkem-Beauvoorde, July-August 1981 

Negen Negentigers in Latem, Brouwerij, Sint-Martens-Latem, 1996, cat. Nr. 8 

Zelf- en andere Portretten, As, St-Alegondiskerk, 2/09-30/09/2001 

Victor Lorein made several self-portraits during his career, but this is one of the most 

enigmatic. It probably draws its inspiration on the earliest of the self-portraits by Ingres, made 

in 1804, but known to us through a reworked or newer version of 1851. Ingres drew his 

inspiration from the Raphael portrait of Bindo Altoviti. 

( 

°Image: The New York Public Library Digital Collections) 


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The inversed composition shows Lorein not as a young man, but as a middle aged man, with 

his heavy brimmed spectacles, looking at us somewhat tired and also surprised. The 

composition of the hand and vest are almost protective, as if the artist wants to hide himself. 

The very unusual use of yellow and orange light and the presence of the shadow on the right 

make it again clear that the painting was conceived using artificial (yellow) light. A nice 

detail is the end of the brush, pointing at the artist, like an ‘ecce homo’ gesture. 

The quality of the painting and the audacity with which Lorein used colour, make this one of 

the most interesting self-portraits made in Belgium in the post-war years. 


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Frans Masereel (Blankenberge 1889 - Avignon 1972) 

The prints of the Lucie Lava collection. 

Doctor Louis Lava married the widowed Louise Masereel in 1897. Frans Masereel’s halfsister 

Lucie Lava (1898-1971) was very close to Frans and she had an important collection of 

prints by the artist. The present collection of prints stem from her collection. 

As is common with the very early prints by Masereel, most signatures and inscriptions were 

done in ink. In this case the artists used bistre ink or iron gall ink, and when the prints were 

exposed to too much sunlight, the ink inscriptions faded. (We face the same problem with 

some of the early Jules De Bruycker etchings.) The treatment against the acidity of the paper, 

again necessary with the early prints which are often printed on very acid paper, further fades 

these inscriptions. In later years, both De Bruycker and Masereel signed their prints in pencil. 

We have done experiments with photographing the faded signatures under UV-light, which 

makes the faded writing more apparent. 

Le Pauvre d’esprit, 1912-1913 

woodcut 

20,5 x 26,5 cm (image) 

Signed and dated in pencil bottom right ‘Frans Masereel 1913’ 

Titled in pencil bottom left ‘Le pauvre d’esprit’ 

Extremely rare early woodcut by the artist 

Provenance: 

Bibliography: 

Lucie Lava collection, thence by descent 

Vorms P., Bibliographie, Chapitre D, Da1 as ‘Cour de Miracles – le pauvre d’esprit’ and with 

date 1912 in Avermaete R. Frans Masereel, Antwerpen, Fonds Mercator, 1976 


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Les Bouchers, 1913 

etching 

24,5 x 31,5 cm (plate) 

Signed and dated in pencil bottom right ‘Frans Masereel / 1913’ 

Titled in pencil bottom left ‘Les bouchers’ 

Extremely rare early etching by the artist, which has been exhibited many times 

Provenance: 


Bibliography: Vorms P., Bibliographie, Chapitre D, Da3p as ‘Les bouchers 1913’, but with different size: 23 

x 50 cm and with justification of 20 copies in Avermaete R. Frans Masereel, Antwerpen, 

Fonds Mercator, 1976 

Exhibitions: Frans Masereel, Berlin, D.D.R. Staatliche Museen, 11/04-25/05/1986 

Frans Masereel, Gent, Museum voor Schone Kunsten, 14/06-14/09/1986, cat. nr. 34 

Frans Masereel, Palma ( Spain ), 1994 

Frans Masereel, Scharpoord, Knokke-Heist, 21/12/1996-19/01/1997 

Frans Masereel, Krakow, Internation Cultural Centre, 2005 


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La Vierge folle, 1923 

woodcut 

24,5 x 14,5 cm (image) 

Signature and title in ink (faded) bottom right ‘La vierge folle / Frans Masereel’ 

Provenance: 


Bibliography: Vorms P., Bibliographie, Chapitre D, Da32 with mention printed on 15 copies in Avermaete R. 

Frans Masereel, Antwerpen, Fonds Mercator, 1976 


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Prière, 1922 

woodcut 

27 x 20 cm (image) 

Signed and dedicated in ink bottom right ‘a Luce / Frans Masereel’ 

Titled in ink (faded) ‘Prière’ and justified in ink (faded) ‘Ep. d’artiste’ bottom left 

Rare and early dedicated woodcut in a proof state by the artist to his sister Lucie 

Provenance: 





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Le Cheval de Bois, 1922 

woodcut 

27 x 19,5 cm (image) 

Signed bottom right ‘Frans Masereel’ (faded) 

Provenance: 





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Le Calvaire, 1923 

woodcut 

52,4 x 30,5 cm (image) 

No visible signature 

Provenance: 





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La Chanteuse, 1923 

woodcut 

27 x 19,8 cm (image) 

No visible signature 

Provenance: 





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Dieu Marin, 1928 

woodcut 

45,8 x 32 cm (image) 

Signed and dated in ink (faded) bottom right ‘Frans Masereel / 1928’ 

Titled and justified in ink (faded) bottom left 

Rare and maybe one of the first copies of this woodcut, which has been exhibited several times 

Provenance: 





Label of ‘Lucien Lefebvre-Foinet’ from Paris’ with number ‘1828’ at the back and a circular 

French customs stamp 

Frans Masereel, Gent, Museum voor Schone Kunsten, s.d. (1986 – not in the catalogue?) 




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Le Témoin, 1923 

woodcut 

51,5 x 29,5 cm (image) 

Signed in ink bottom center ‘Frans Masereel’ (faded) 

Provenance: 





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Les Fumées, 1920 

woodcut 

36 x 33 cm (image) 

Signed and dated in ink (faded) bottom right ‘Frans Masereel / 1920’ 

Titled ‘les fumées’ and justified (?) in ink (faded) bottom left 

Provenance: 




Exhibitions: Frans Masereel, Scharpoord, Knokke-Heist, 21/12/1996-19/01/1997 


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Les Cartes, 1927 

woodcut 

40 x 29,5 cm (image) 

Signed and dated in pencil bottom right ‘Frans Masereel / 1927’ 

Titled ‘Les Cartes’ and justified ‘ép hors commerce’ in pencil bottom left 

Provenance: 





Label of ‘Lucien Lefebvre-Foinet’ from Paris’ with number ‘1828’ at the back and a circular 

French customs stamp 

Frans Masereel, Gent, Museum voor Schone Kunsten, s.d. (1986 – not in the catalogue?) 




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George Minne (Gent 1866 – Sint-Martens-Latem 1941) 

Fallen Christ, ca. 1900-1910 

Pencil on paper 

12,5 x 15,5 cm (day measure) 

Signed lower right 

Provenance: 

Family of the artist 

Paul Eeckhout, Gent (acquired from the above) 

Private collection (by descent) 

During his career, George Minne envisaged several times to depict scenes from the Stations of 

the Cross or as it is aptly called in English the Way of Sorrows. We know he made sketches 

and drawings on small and large formats, dating from around 1898-1900. It is not clear if the 

artist intended to sculpt these scenes. 

The small drawing we have here is undated. The precise drawing technique, the stylized 

movements and the signature all point to an early execution of the work, before 1914. The 

drawing bears some similarities with a study for a monument (cat. 91 in the George Minne 

catalogue of 1982) which is dated 1898-1900. Also the angle of the elbow is reminiscent of 

the pose of the Bathing woman of 1899, while the drapery covering Christ is similar to the 

way the first Rodenbach monument was conceived, which was also in 1899. 

This drawing belonged to the personal collection of Paul Eeckhout (1917-2012), director of 

the Museum of Fine Arts in Gent from 1948 to 1982. Eeckhout was instrumental in 

recognizing the importance of George Minne for the development of European symbolism 

and expressionism and his international influence on the avantgarde of the beginning of the 

20 th century. 


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George Minne (Gent 1866 – Sint-Martens-Latem 1941) 

Pieta, ca. 1920 

Charcoal on wood 

88 x 57 cm (irregular) 

Signed bottom right 


IIde Salon voor Moderne Godsdienstige Kunst, Antwerpen, 101/12/1921-03/01/1922 as “Reeks 

D: Christus in de armen of op de schoot van Maria – 9 tekeningen – Nr. 1 (behoort toe aan dhr. 

M. Speth) 

XIII Esposizione Internatzionale d’Arte della Città di Venezia 1922, Padiglione del Belgio, n° 

74 as «Cristo sulle ginocchia della Madre (disegno su legno f) belonging to Speth 

Provenance: 

Collection Maurice Speth, Antwerp (acquired from the artist) 

Art market, Belgium 

Galerie Patrick Derom, Tefaf Maastricht, 2010 

Private collection, Germany (acquired from the above) 

Sale Grisebach, Berlin, 10/07/2020, lot n° 1680 

As most sculptors, George Minne was an avid draughtsman. We must not forget that the artist 

has initially trained to become a painter. Minne has never abandoned the two dimensional 

surface, and most sculptures were conceived after a lengthy designing process on paper. 

Furthermore, when in doubt or in periods of emotional distress, for instance when the artist 

was in exile in Wales during WW I, Minne has always turned to drawing as a means to 

expressing himself. 

Most drawings that survive are sketches. They are small and rarely signed by the artist. Then 

there are the more finished drawings on medium format, of which some were conceived as 

works of art in their own right. Large drawings are rare, and were to the artist as important as 

his sculptures. They were often shown side by side. 


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Due to the fact that Minne had the tendency to work on poor quality paper – even sometimes 

wrapping paper – much of his body of drawings has been deteriorated , resulting in poor 

condition of the drawings and a substantial alteration of the viewing experience we now have 

of the works. As his friend and critic Georges Chabot wrote: 

« George Minne éprouve quelque gêne devant le papier immaculé […] il crée sur ce 

qui lui tombe sous la main : vieux papiers, circulaires […] » 

Only the drawings Minne made on Eternit plaques (these unfortunately contain asbestos) and 

on wood have been preserved in an almost unaltered state. But alas, these works are extremely 

rare. 

The Pieta on wood of 1920 

This drawing was probably shown for the first time at an exhibition on modern religious art in 

Antwerp. The drawings by Minne were shown in two rooms, and the 38 drawings were shown 

in groups (A, B,C and D). This drawing, the only one belonging to Speth, was shown in the 

group D as n°1. 

A contemporary account by Eugène Joors described the drawings being executed on 

yellowish paper or on rough pine wood (“blokken raw wit hout”). Unfortunately the catalogue 

doesn’t state the media used, so it is unclear as to how many drawings were executed on 

wood. However if we compare it to the Biennale show in Venice about 4 months later, and 

which featured several drawings which were shown in Antwerp, we see that out of the 13 

drawings shown, only 2 were on wood. 

The Minne drawings were praised for their expressivity and simplicity. Overall authors and 

critics talk about the conveying of feelings of pain and loss but also of hope and love. As 

Georges Chabot wrote in the magazine Gand Artistique in 1922: 

« […] George Minne cherche de la Pieta une version qui le satisfasse. Le corps du 

Christ repose dans la bure de sa mère, comme dans un berceau, comme dans un 

linceul. L’unité des masses répond à l’unité des êtres. Le groupe passe, flotte, erre 

dans l’éther, comme une vision […] L’ombre de la douleur voile encore le visage de la 

Mater dolorosa alors que la face du Jésus repose déjà dans la lumière céleste. La 

majesté de la mort se trouve rendue sans horreur. Les lignes funèbres, les lignes aux 


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lents accents, les lignes classiquement irrévocables exprimaient déjà, à elles seules, 

tout le sujet […] » 

Chabot does not see these drawings as an expression of the Christian Faith only but as an 

expression of spiritual values, close to the heart of the artist. 

In the drawings of the 1920’s, Minne finds a mode of expression that is again relevant to the 

modern art movement of that period. After a period of extreme mannerism, the artist comes to 

a very strong and simplified language close to what we see in the expressionist drawings of 

Albert Servaes or Oscar Colbrandt of the same period. Through the making of these 

expressionist drawings, Minne enables himself to reinvent his art and so finds a new way to 

reinvigorate his sculptural work, culminating in new work from the 1930’s onwards. 

Identifying the Minne drawings is very difficult as the artist always worked in series. The 

Venice Biennale label at the back of this work, helps us to identify both the drawing and its 

possible owner. 

Minne showed 13 drawings at the Biennale of 1922. Of those, 6 are titled “Cristo sulle 

ginocchia della Madre” (Christ on the knees of the Virgin Mary) and 2 are titled “Pietà”. Thus 

our drawing has to be one of these 8. Of these drawings, according to the catalogue, only 1 is 

drawn on wood: number 74, from the Maurice Speth collection. 

However, in his article on the Venice Biennale of 1922: “L’Art Belge à Venise”, the author 

Arthur Laes shows a drawing of a “Pietà” by Minne on p. 7 (bottom), apparently from the 

Maurice Speth collection, which is not our drawing and which is drawn on paper. It is our 

belief that, seeing that the title of this illustrated drawing differs from the title of number 74 in 

the catalogue, and bearing in mind that this drawing is a charcoal on paper drawing, this has 

to be another drawing from the Speth collection, and that our drawing on wood is the number 

74 of the Venice Biennale catalogue. Speth was also known to buy several works of one artist 

for his collection, and he had several drawings and sculptures by Minne, so it is very likely 

that he had more than one drawing of his collection on show at the Biennale. 

Last but not least, in reviewing the Minne participation, Arthus Laes writes an interesting 

comment: 

« George Minne, le chef de cette école, montre une nombreuse série de Pietà et de 

Christ. […] Il ne traite plus que trois sujets, inlassablement : le Christ, la Pietà et la 

Vierge et l’Enfant, mais il en tire des chefs-d’œuvre atteignant au sublime. La forme, 


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le sentiment, tout est épuré, spiritualisé. C’est le pur langage de l’âme. D’un caractère 

plastique, sculptural, d’un style sobre et large, l’art de Minne rejoint celui des maîtres 

imagiers de nos cathédrales, mais plus subjectif, il est de nos temps modernes. 

L’ensemble de George Minne a produit chez les artistes italiens une impression 

profonde » 

The original owner of the drawing was Maurice Speth (°1887), son of Frédéric Speth. Both 

were chairmen of the American Petroleum Company S.A.B in Antwerp. Maurice Speth was 

an important collector and an important member of the ‘Kunst Van Heden’ initiative in 

Antwerp. He was one of the first collectors that believed in the genius of James Ensor of 

whom he had a large collection and who was a personal friend. Speth made a large donation 

to the city of Boom with monumental sculptures of Rik Wouters, George Minne and Ernest 

Weynants. He also supported young artists (o.a. Jos Léonard, the brothers Jepers and Paul 

Van Ostajien). Unfortunately Maurice Speth died with his wife in a car crash in 1938. 


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George Morren (Antwerp 1868 – Brussels 1941) 

Inkwell, 1895 

Pewter 

Dimensions: 10,3 x 18,6 x 12,6 cm 

Signed at the side ‘G Morren” and dated ‘95’. 

Foundry mark ‘J Petermann fondeur / Bruxelles’ at the side 


Provenance: 

La Libre Ethétique 2me Salon, Bruxelles, 23/02-01/04/1895, (hors catalogue), sold for the 

amount of 125,- frcs. 


Bibliography: Calabrese T., George Morren 1868-1941, Antwerpen, Pandora, s.d. (2000?), p. 63, p. 

65 (ill. of a bronze cast) & p. 216 cat. rais. Nr. 39 

X, La Libre Esthétique, quatrième liste d’acquisitions in L’Art Moderne, Bruxelles, 

24/03/1895. 

This 1895 art nouveau inkwell is one of the most iconic applied art creations by George Morren. 

A cast was first shown at the Paris Salon of 1895, where a critic compared the style of the 

sculpture to the work of Rodin. After admiring Morren’s work, Siegfried Bing selected the 

inkwell for his opening exhibition of the ‘Maison de l’Art Nouveau’ in Paris in 1896. The 

inkwell was also shown at exhibitions in Germany and at the famous Turin exhibition of 1902, 

making it one of the best documented as well as one of the earliest art nouveau creations. A 

bronze example belonged to the collection of writer Emile Verhaeren. 

This pewter example is up to this day the only one that is known. We know that Morren sold a 

pewter cast at the La Libre Esthétique exhibition of 1895, although the inkwell was not in the 

catalogue, we know - thanks to the list of acquisitions on the exhibition published in ‘l’Art 

Moderne’ – that a pewter cast was sold for 125,- frcs before the 24 th of March 1895. It is not 

unlikely that our cast is the one sold at La Libre Esthétique. 


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In analogy with the production of the early art nouveau vases designed by Philippe Wolfers we 

can assume that the pewter example precedes the bronze casts, pewter being cheaper and easier 

to cast than bronze. Wolfers used pewter in his 1895 exhibitions where he showed new objects 

for the first time, the cost being lower, the risk of financial losses being smaller. Another 

possible reason could also be the influence of Alexandre Charpentier, known to both Wolfers 

and Morren, who frequently worked in pewter, and whose work was highly successful. 

This would also explain why the pewter cast, which we can consider to be a sort of a prototype, 

had a different (open) design for its ink recipients, while the bronze versions are closed. 


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Albert Edouard Moerman (Gent 1808 - 1856) 

Fun in winter 

Oil on panel 

32 x 44 cm 

Signed bottom right ‘A. Moerman’ 

In a 19 th century frame 

Provenance: 


Moerman specialised in painting landscapes, mostly in winter. He participated in Salons both 

in Belgium and abroad and gained quite a reputation, although his career was very brief. 

Paintings by Moerman belong to the collections of museums in Kortrijk and Le Havre. 

This painting, skaters on a frozen river, is a typical example of his craftsmanship. 


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Maurits Niekerk (Amsterdam 1871 - Paris 1940) 

Market in summer 

Oil on canvas 

34,5 x 55 cm 

Signed bottom left ‘Niekerk’ 

Although Maurits Joseph Niekerk was born in Amsterdam and studied there at the 

Rijksacademie, from 1892 onwards he lived abroad. Active as a writer, architect and art critic, 

Niekerk travelled a lot. In 1898 we find the artist in Sint-Martens-Latem, where he befriended 

several artists of the so-called ‘2nd group of Latem Painters.’ He stayed at Latem until 1905, 

painting luminist landscapes and flower still lives. 

Niekerk went to live and paint in Brussels and eventually made his way to Paris, where the 

artist died in poverty in 1940. Niekerk was not a prolific artist, his work seldom comes unto 

the art market, but is always of high quality. Several works belong to public collections: the 

museums of Antwerp and Brussels, the museum of Elsene and the Boijmans-Van Beuningen 

museum in Rotterdam own works by Niekerk. 


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Rosa Vaerwijck (Pauwaert) (Gent 1887 – 1966) 

Landscape with moon reflected, ca. 1916-1920 

Oil on canvas 

37,5 x 58 cm 

Signed bottom right ‘Rosa Vaerwijck / Pauwaert’ 

Provenance: given by the artist to a member of her family, thence by decent. 

Rosa Vaerwijck was the sister of renowned architect Valentin Vaerwijck and married Maurice 

Pauwaert in Nottingham during the war, where both were exiled. Rosa took on a teaching 

position at the Long Eaton Higher Elementary School in Derbyshire and earned quite a 

reputation by painting wall paintings, sadly now gone. 

Extremely talented, Rosa studied at the Gent Academy from 1905 to 1911, where she eventually 

would teach until 1926. Stylistically she remained faithful to the impressionist and luminist 

movements of her formative years. She was especially known for her paintings of children for 

which her son ‘Rik’ was her source of inspiration. The shooting of the boy, 16 years old, by the 

Germans in WW II, dealt a huge blow to Rosa, who came close to giving up painting. 

Early works by Rosa Vaerwijck appear seldom on the art market. One theory is that a lot of the 

early work was destroyed. This landscape, probably made between 1916 and 1920 is a rare 

survivor and was given by the artist to a member of her family. 


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Maurice Sys (Gent 1880-Deurle 1972) 

My humble house, ca. 1927 

Oil on canvas laid down on panel 

60 x 57 cm 

Signed bottom right ‘Maurice Sys’ 

This work is illustrated on the cover of an exhibition catalogue of works by Sys in the ‘Galerie de Tavernier in 

Gent’ which is to be dated around 1927. 

Although Sys is primarily known for his marine paintings, the artist was a painter who was 

able to tackle any subject. Sys had lived in St-Martens-Latem from 1905 until 1923. In those 

days he befriended the brothers De Smet, Dessenis and Frits Van den Berghe. Unlike his 

friends, Sys remained true to the luminism of painters like the Vie et Lumière group around 

Claus. Sys has painted several interiors of Latem pubs and farmhouses. This painting shows 

the ‘humble house’ where the painter lived in his Latem years. It is a subject that was very 

close to the heart of the artist. He painted three versions of the same subject, but at different 

periods. This version is remarkable in its use of colour and in the very modern way the artist 

composed his picture. 


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Carolus Tremerie (Gent 1858 - 1945) 

The Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Hoyen Béguinage, Gent 

Oil on canvas, relined 

80 x 100 cm 

Signed bottom left ‘C Tremerie’ 

Carolus Tremerie was especially fond of the so called ‘small béguinage’. He would go 

painting there during his entire career and has depicted the béguinage in different seasons and 

hours, documenting the way the light sculpted the church and the surrounding houses and 

endowed them with an endless variety in light and atmosphere. His winter views, with the 

béguinage in the snow were especially praised by his contemporaries. 


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Geo Verbanck (Gent 1881 – Aartselaar 1961) 

Putti holding vines and grapes 

Cast and patinated stone 

108 x 96 x 46 cm 

Signed on the base ‘G. Verbanck’ 

Provenance: 


Exhibition: Vergeten Beelden – 100 jaar Gentse Beeldhouwkunst, Gent, Galerie St-John, 28/11- 

28/12/1997, cat. nr. 45 

Geo Verbanck is undoubtably one of the most well-known sculptors of his generation. 

The putto has become a recurring motif throughout his career. The combination of putti and 

plants was probably worked out for the first time on a large scale in a series of decorative 

sculptures in Gent, for the ‘Bank Van de Arbeid’ building at the Volderstraat. The architect of 

the building, Georges Vandevoorde, was an admirer of the Austrian and German proto-art 

deco style. Verbanck’s sculptural groups were probably put in place around the finishing of 

the building in 1923. Here the groups are composed of three figures and consist of putti 

depicting industry, commerce, shipping, science and art. 

Our group of two putti, holding vines and grapes, is very similar in style to the bank groups, 

so it is very well possible that the sculpture was executed in the second half of the 1920’s. By 

repute the group has been installed in a wintergarden of a large house in Gent. The use of cast 

stone is not uncommon. Several sculptors used cast stone in the 1920’s and ‘30’s: Jean 

Canneel, Oscar Jespers, George Minne, Domien Ingels, Gustave Van der Meersche (related to 

Verbanck) and Verbanck himself. In a speech given before the Royal Academy for Science, 

Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium in 1949, Verbanck specifically mentioned the advantages of 

the technique, thus implying that he had ample knowledge of its use. 


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Verbanck was a stout supporter of the use of cast stone. In this case it is a mixture of stone 

and a special kind of cement. For Verbanck it was a good way of limiting the inaccuracies in 

the transposition of the plaster model, as is often the case with marble or stone, and 

additionally it was a means to work faster and more economically, since otherwise one had to 

rely on the skills of a praticien to execute the sculpture: 

“En waarom niet een plaatsje gegund aan de kunststeen, zijnde een 

samenstelling uit gemalen natuursteen en speciaal cement, een soort veredeld 

beton dus. Waarom die grote overwinnaar niet toelaten in het kunstdomein? 

Kunststeen benadert na lichte overwerking, het uitzicht van natuursteen; hij is 

even sterk weerbestand en bespaart aan de beeldhouwer de onaangename 

verrassingen die de natuursteen wel oplevert, zoals verdoken barsten, vlekken 

en holten […] De grote tijdsbesparing moet de enorme kosten verminderen, 

waarover de beeldhouwer terecht klaagt […] en zeer dikwijls een opdracht in 

de weg staan.” 

Large groups are very rare in the work of Geo Verbanck. They were mostly specially 

commissioned. Using the technique of cast stone, this group could be executed several times. 

However, since 1997 we have not come across another cast (in any material) of this sculpture. 


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Geo Vindevogel (Gentbrugge 1923 – Deurle 1977) 

Standing nude with cloth, 1949 

plaster 

32,2 x 8,5 x 6,2 cm 

Signed and dated at the side ‘Georg Vindevogel / 1949’ 


Retrospectieve tentoonstelling Beeldhouwwerken Geo Vindevogel, 

Deurle, Museum Leon De Smet, 18/11-09/12/1979, cat. nr. 12 (a bronze cast). 

A typical work by Vindevogel, leaving the influence of the art deco sculptors of his native 

town on his early work behind and achieving a new ‘classical’ language, that he will develop 

further in the 1950’s and ‘60’s. A rare dated plaster cast, fully signed. 


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Petrus Van Schendel (Terheyden (Breda) 1806 – Brussel 1870) 

Portrait of a man, study 

Oil on paper laid down on canvas 

28 x 23,5 cm 

Signature bottom right ‘P Van Schendel’ 

Provenance: 


Petrus Van Schendel is primarily known for his very detailed candle lit market scenes. His 

highly polished painting style is in stark contrast with this study, which is painted in a very 

loose, and seemingly improvised manner and there seems to be some kind of directness about 

it. The the composition gives one the impression that the painting was done from life, it 

becomes almost a snapshot - from the 19 th century that is. The undetailed background 

contributes to the modernity or timelessness of the whole. 


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Emmanuel Viérin (Kortrijk 1869 – 1954) 

Bleaching the laundry at a Béguinage in Flanders, ca. 1920-25 

Oil on canvas 

80 x 100 cm 

Signature bottom right ‘Emm Viérin’ 

Provenance: 


Emmanuel Viérin’s speciality was the depiction of ‘Begijnhoven’ or ‘Béguinages’ especially 

the one from his native town. 

This oil painting is a view that resembles the chapel at the Baggaertshof in Kortrijk, but it is 

not quite the same. 

The typical Viérin elements are visible in this painting: the depiction of different intensities of 

light, the important role of the architecture in the composition and the treatment of the figures, 

playing a key role in enlivening the scene. 


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Philippe Wolfers (Brussel 1858 – Brussel 1929) 

Impéria, 1929 

Blue limestone on a later wooden pedestal. 

Height 42,5 cm, with pedestal 172,5 cm 

Signed on the back of the shoulder ‘Ph Wolfers’ 

This sculpture is unique. 

Provenance: 

Philippe Wolfers 

Musée Philippe Wolfers, Wolfers Frères Brussels 

Private Collection, Brussels 

Exibition: 

Exposition des oeuvres de Philippe Wolfers – Statuaire, Anvers, Salle Plantin, 09/11-27/11/1929, cat. No. 91 

Un Secolo d’Arte Belga 1830-1930, Roma, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, 25/03-23/04/1933, cat. No. 18 

Bibliography : 

Adriaenssens W., Beredeneerde Catalogus van het persoonlijke oeuvre van Philippe Wolfers in De Wolfers 

Dynastie - van art nouveau tot art deco, Gent, Design museum Gent, 2006, p. 416, cat. No. 294 


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The head of ‘Impéria’ of 1929 is part of a group of monumental heads or busts, carved in 

stone, that were executed for the important 1929 exhibition in Antwerp, where Philippe 

Wolfers wanted to make his name as modern sculptor. Wolfers already made a version of 

‘Impéria’ in bronze in 1922, and the head was shown in the ‘Gioconda’ room in Paris in 1925. 

With a very rough surface, the bronze head was made in his so-called “Hellenistic” style, 

where the sculptor tried to emulate the surface corrosion on the Greek and Roman antique 

bronzes, excavated from the earth or salvaged from the seas. In 1929 Philippe Wolfers sought 

to modernise this sculpture and conceived a classical ‘Impéria’, much more stylised than the 

1922 bronze. Clearly, the unique sculpture carved in Belgian blue limestone or ‘Petit granit’ 

was much more in tune with the aesthetics of the 1930’s art deco. 

Originally on a probably ‘noir de mazy’ base, the sculpture lived outside in a Brussel garden 

for the last 40 years. The previous owners received the sculpture as payment for their Wolfers 

stock papers by the Parisian firm of Chaumet at the time of their takeover of Wolfers Frères 

S.A. in 1975. They displayed ‘Impéria’ on their garden terrace, but without its base, 

apparently already missing. When acquiring the bust, we decided to mount it on its current 

wooden pedestal, which is contemporary to the sculpture. 


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Rodolphe Wytsman (Dendermonde 1860 - Linkebeek 1927) 

Overschie, Holland, ca. 1916 

Pastel on paper 

22 x 27,5 cm (day measure) 

Signed and localised bottom left ‘R Wytsman / Overschie’ 

Rodolphe Wytsman received his artistic formation at the Gent Academy, where he met Theo 

Van Rysselberghe. After a trip to Italy with Gustave Vanaise and a brief stay in Knokke, he 

settled in the Brussels region. 

This view was painted during the First World War. Like many artists, Wytsman had sought 

refuge in the neutral Netherlands. Wytsman painted an oil painting with the same subject 

which is dated 1916. This pastel drawing could be the finished study for the oil painting. 


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Gent 

2021 

Art after 

1945… 


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Philippe Morel (de Boucle Saint-Denis) (Gent 1897 - 1965) 

Philippe Morel, now almost forgotten, was a very influential Gent artist. He started painting in 

expressionist fashion and befriended Gustave and Leon De Smet, P-G Van Hecke and even 

exhibited works at the Le Centaure gallery in Brussels. After the war, Morel became intrigued 

with the work of Picasso and other Parisian painters like Edouard Pignon and André 

Fougeron. Between 1945 and 1949 Morel painted in a style close to, but different of, his 

Parisian colleagues. Morel clearly was dissolving figuration and was moving towards 

abstraction. From 1953 onwards his works became (almost) abstract. 

Extremely recluse, and always doubting the quality of his work, Morel never exhibited these 

works. He even destroyed most of his pre-abstract works, only keeping the ones that he really 

liked, rolled up in his studio. It is only after his death in 1965, that these works resurfaced and 

were put onto stretchers by the ‘Vereniging voor het Museum voor Hedendaagse Kunst’ in 

Gent, to whom he bequeathed his whole oeuvre. The association gave most of the works to 

the S.M.A.K. (Museum of Contemporary Art of Gent) after holding a number of exhibitions 

in the 1970’s, where a few works were sold to collectors. This collection of 5 works by Morel 

is a rarity: not only are works by Morel almost non-existent on the art market, pre-abstract 

works are even rarer. To be able to show 5 works side to side is really exceptional. Similar 

works from 1945-1949 by Morel are in the collection of the S.M.A.K. and are also unsigned. 

According to Karel J. Geirlandt: 

“Na de oorlog opteerde hij voor de kleurrijke door Picasso beïnvloede Parjise school 

[…] Buiten enkele vrienden herinnert zich niemand deze werken gezien te hebben, die men na 

zijn dood, opgerold en ongetekend teruggevonden heeft”. 


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Profile, ca. 1945-1949 

Oil on canvas 

50 x 40,5 cm 

Marked with the studio stamp on the stretcher at the back 

Numbered ‘69’ at the back of the strecher 

Provenance: 

Vereniging voor het Museum voor Hedendaagse Kunst (gift from the artist) 

private collection (acquired from the above in the 1970’s) 


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Le Beau Jour, ca. 1945-1949 

Oil on canvas 

50 x 34,5 cm 


Numbered ‘75’ and with title in pencil at the back of the stretcher 

Provenance: 




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Seated woman, ca. 1945-1949 

Oil on canvas 

109,5 x 69 cm 


Numbered ‘15’ at the back of the stretcher 

Provenance: 




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185


Still life, ca. 1945-1949 

Oil on canvas 

59 x 89 cm 


Provenance: 




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187


Reclining nude, ca. 1945-1949 

Oil on canvas 

59,5 x 79 cm 



Provenance: 




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Willy Anthoons (Mechelen 1911 – Paris 1982) 

& Michel Seuphor (Antwerpen 1901 – Paris 1999) 

Poème-Objet La Jettature, 1964 

Cherry wood, taille directe 

79 x 23,5 x 3,5 cm 

Signed by both artists, bottom right ‘Anthoons Seuphor’ 

Exhibitions: Seuphor, Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag, 1977 (?), cat. nr. 129 

L’ART à la Lettre, Stavelot ; Liège, 1977 

Michel Seuphor – la traversée du siècle, Alès-en-Cevennes, musée bibliothèque 

Pierre-André Benoît, 23/101991-02/02/1992 

Bibliography : M. Daloze, Willy Anthoons - l’esprit de la matière, Paris, Galerie ph. Samuel, 2012, p. 

83 with illustration, cat. n°. 127. 

Provenance : 

collection Michel Seuphor, Paris 

In 1962, Anthoons made his first sculpture incorporating a text by Henri Chopin, a ‘poèmeobjet’ 

or poem-object, ‘Les Bras ouverts’. 

In 1964 he decided to use a poem by his good friend Michel Seuphor and sculpted ‘La Jettature’ 

in cherry wood. On the occasion of the exhibition ‘L'ART à la Lettre’ in Stavelot and then in 

Liège, the creator of the exhibition René Leonard wrote: 

"[Anthoons] carves in wood, with the precision of a craftsman, every letter of a poem 

that precisely matches the stamp of his spirituality with the sobriety of the image". 

The playfulness of the poem has indeed been translated into the execution of the sculpture. 

Seuphor was very impressed by the sculpture which he bought for his own collection. 


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Jan Burssens (Mechelen 1925 – Nevele 2002) 

Abstract composition, 1950 

Pencil on paper 

49 x 35 cm 

Signed and dated bottom left ‘Jan Burssens 50’ 

Provenance: 

collection of a fellow student of Burssens at the Gent Academy 

In 1942 Jan Burssens took lessons at the Sint-Lucas schools for a few months and met Dan 

Van Severen. The following year he started at the Gent Academy, where he studied ‘Still 

Life’ in Hubert Malfait’s class. The artist moved into a small studio at ‘Het Pand’, a derelict 

convent, in Onderbergen and maintained good contacts with André and Karel Geirlandt, Jan 

Saverys and Paul Rogghé. Due to the war situation, lessons at the Academy were very 

irregular and it would take until 1945 before Jan could take a few more 'Living Model' lessons 

with Jan Mulder. 

Burssens was attracted by the rapid evolution in modern art and left for the Netherlands in 

1946, where he came into contact with Karel Appel and Corneille and the poets Bertus Aafjes 

and Gerrit Achterberg. However, his military service interrupted the Dutch intermezzo. In 

1947 Corneille stayed with the Burssens family in Melle for a while, so the Dutch contacts - 

also with Appel, who regularly stayed in Belgium - were maintained. Meanwhile, Jan and 

uncle Gaston Burssens conceived the plan to start a farm in Sint-Idesbald, but Jan left a year 

later on a study trip to Italy. Belgium lost a farmer but gained an artist. 


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A stay in Duinbergen definitively opened the eyes of the young painter. Not only did he 

radically change his style, Burssens began experimenting mixing sand, pebbles and shells in 

his paint to create certain colour effects and textures. The dripping technique also made its 

appearance. 

In 1950 Burssens went to live in the Veldstraat in Mariakerke. It was his first real studio and it 

immediately became an attraction for many painters, poets and artists belonging to the avantgarde 

milieu. In his painterly evolution Burssens distanced himself from figuration in order to 

arrive at geometrically abstract works on the one hand, and abstract works that still retain 

their original source of figurative inspiration to some extent. 

This drawing is a rare witness to that short period in which Burssens grew from a local artist 

into one of Europe's leading avant-garde artists. Work from the period before 1952 has 

become very rare and almost untraceable. From the mid-1950s onwards, Burssens has 

definitely turned away from pure abstraction. 


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Jan Burssens (Mechelen 1925 – Nevele 2002) 

Vertical composition, 1956 

Mixed media on unalite board 

70 x 22,5 cm 

Signed and dated bottom left ‘Jan Burssens 56’ 

Provenance: 

an important private collection, acquired by the father of the previous owner from the artist. 

This vertical composition is typical of the vertical works which Jan Burssens made between 

1955 and 1957. The artist started painting on narrow irregular wooden floorboards around 

1954, which in turn inspired the ‘Tower’ series of 1955, and a little later the ‘Knights’ or 

upright figures which received great international acclaim. This painting shows an almost 

abstract composition, leaning more towards the ‘Tower’ series. It brings to mind the 

appearance of a sign or a totem. 


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Amédée Cortier (Gent 1921 - 1976) 

Composition, ca. 1963-1965 

gouache on paper 

31,5 x 22,7 cm (with frame) 

Signed bottom right ‘Cortier’ 

This work is framed in a plastic frame, contemporary to the work and is probably conceived by Cortier. 



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Line Drawing 1 (Composition with rectangles), ca. 1969-1970 

Ink on paper 

46 x 38 cm (sheet) 

Signed bottom right ‘A. Cortier’ 


Cortier is known as the painter who was obsessively trying to paint pure colour. That is why it 

is so rare to find drawings of the artist. Cortier started as a figurative painter, working in a 

post-expressionist style. He has gradually moved towards abstraction. His first abstract 

compositions were clearly indebted to the abstract art of the 1920’s and 1930’s. 

In the 1970’s Cortier paints monochrome works, and dramatically simplifies his 

compositions. In a way these three drawings are monochrome drawings, where the white of 

the sheet is contained by black lines, defining the edges of the composition. 

These drawings are to be situated around 1969-1970. A very similar but later group of 

drawings from 1972 belongs to the collection of the Groeningemuseum in Bruges. 


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Line Drawing 3 (Composition with 2 rectangles – shift), ca. 1969-1970 

Ink on paper 





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Line Drawing 4 (Composition with triangles), ca. 1969-1970 

Ink on paper 





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Dees De Bruyne (Gent 1940 – 1998) 

Stilleven (Still Life), 1967 

Oil on canvas 

60,5 x 80 cm (unframed) 

Signed, dated and titled at the back of the canvas ‘Dees De Bruyne / 67 / stilleven’ 

Provenance: 


Both very rare, unusual and early works by this very talented artist, who later in life vowed 

never to paint a painting without a human presence. 

What De Bruyne creates here, is a very ‘un-Flemish’ painting, without any links to his 

contemporary fellow artists in Gent. The space he created is reminiscent of the work of 

Francis Bacon, and might draw its inspiration from his years studying architecture. The very 

cartoonesque approach towards modelling and colours prefigures the work of artists in the 

1970’s and ‘80’s. 

It is possible that one of these works was shown at the infamous ‘Reportage’ exhibition 

curated by Roland Van den Berghe and Marcel Broodthaers in October 1967. Dees De 

Bruyne showed 7 works, all titled ‘Hedonist’ and of which number 7 was also labelled as ‘still 

life’. Unfortunately we could not find any photographs of the exhibited works, so we are not 

able to identify them. 

De Bruyne apparently only made a handful of works in this style, of which these works are 

lone survivors. 


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Dees De Bruyne (Gent 1940 – 1998) 

Stilleven (Still Life), 1967 

Oil on canvas 

100,5 x 81 cm (unframed) 

Signed, dated and titled at the back of the canvas ‘Dees De Bruyne / 67 / stilleven’ 

Provenance: 



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Hugo De Clercq (Gent 1930 – Hansbeke 1996) 

Vintimilia, July 1967 

Acryl and spray paint (?) on canvas 

55,5 x 45 cm 

Signed, dated and titled at the back of the canvas 

Provenance: 

private collection. 

Hugo De Clercq is undoubtedly one of the most important Gent artists from the 1960-1970’s 

period. Especially his early constructivist work – both paintings and sculptures – still 

surprises. This canvas clearly shows his uncompromising way of painting by its colour 

scheme, its composition and use of spray paint. 


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215

Alfons De Vogelaere (Gent 1922 – Gent 1998) 

Big Bird, 1965 

Mixed media on board 

125 x 250 cm (dimensions variable) 

Signed and titled at the back ‘F De Vogelaere’ 

Exhibition: 51e Nationaal Salon voor Schone Kunsten Gent, Gent, Museum voor Schone Kunsten, 2/10- 

14/11/1965, cat. nr. 66 as ‘Groote Vogel’ (label at the back) 

Alfons De Vogelaere studied at the Gent Academy, where he was one of the most important 

artists of his generation. He exhibited nationally and internationally at the end of the 1950’s 

and the beginning of the 1960’s. However his appointment as a teacher at the Gent Academy 

and his activities as an art critic put his artistic career under pressure. The growing 

international success of his wife, ceramicist Carmen Dionyse, convinced him to stop 

exhibiting all together. De Vogelaere’s work is almost impossible to find. This work comes 

directly from the estate of the artist. 


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217

Roger Dudant (Brunehaut 1929 – Pérluwez 2008) 

Construction on a beach, 1959 

Oil on canvas 

30 x 46 cm 

Signed and dated bottom right ‘R Dudant 59’ 

Provenance: 

private collection. 

The 1950’s were the breakthrough years for Dudant. In 1953 he finished his studies at La 

Cambre, earning the highest grades. In 1954 he won the Jeune Peinture Belge prize and went 

on to win third prize at the International Carnegie Exhibition in Pittsburgh (USA). Exhibitions 

at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in 1955 and 1958 consolidated his name and fame, paving the 

way for solo shows at galleries in Paris and in New York. Already in the beginning of the 

sixties his work was bought by international collectors and made part of the collections of the 

Museums of Antwerp, Brussels, Liège, Brugge, Doornik, etc; as well as Lugano, Sao Paolo 

and Pittsburgh. 

This work is a typical example of the early work by Dudant, which is very difficult to find on 

today’s market. It carries all the elements of the early period of the painter: the industrial 

building in corrugated metal, the undefined, horizontal space (beach) and the brown colours. 


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Etienne Elias (Oostende 1936 – 2007) 

Look to me little room, 1969 


54 x 72 cm (day measure sheet), 73,5 x 90 cm with period metal frame by Charles Van Thienen (Brussels) 

Signed and dated in pencil bottom right ‘Elias 69’ 

Title in pencil bottom left 

Provenance: 

Possibly Galerie Denise Emmanuel, Brussels 


Exhibited: 

Possibly: Etienne Elias – Gravures originales et gouaches, Bruxelles, Galerie Denise 

Emmanuel, 29/01- 9/03/1970 

One of the founding members of the ‘New Vision’ group (‘De nieuwe Visie’) together with 

Roger Raveel, Raoul De Keyser and Reiner Lucassen. In 1966 he worked with these artist to 

decorate part of the cellars of the castle of Beervelde, which became the most iconic work by 

the group. Influenced by the work of Hockney, Elias forged his own pictural language away 

from the influence of Raveel. His works became very stylised and condensed. 

1969 was the year of another important group project by Elias, Raveel, De Keyser and 

Lucassen for the Dulcia factory, with the aim to introduce art in the work environment. Elias 

also stayed for a longer period in Amsterdam as an artist in residence for the Stedelijk 

Museum, which in a way started the artist’s long lasting relation with the Dutch art world. 

This gouache is typical of the work of that early period. Close to Hockney, painted with 

utmost care for composition and execution, the small image is ‘framed’ by its large Steinbach 

sheet. The influence of Raveel is no longer visible, the title of the work engages the viewer 

into a search for meaning and sense. 

During the end of the sixties and the seventies Elias exhibited worldwide and his works 

belong to the collections of all major Belgian museums and of those in Amsterdam, 

Groningen, Haarlem, Rotterdam and Bradford. 


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Henri Gabriel (Brussel 1918 – 1994) 

Op Art Object, ca. 1967 

Plexiglas and metal rods 

Height 46 cm, other dimensions variable 

unsigned 

Provenance: 


Henri Gabriel is the pseudonym of Henri-Jean Brouwers. Although not very well known by 

the general public, Gabriel was one of the most interesting Op-Art artists in Belgium. Selfthought, 

Gabriel was an engineer, he started making geometrical inspired sculptures in 

Plexiglas and metal from 1964, where the interaction with light, creating shades and 

reflections was primordial. He was one of the founding members of the group D4 in 1965, 

together with Emile Bergen, Gilbert Decock, Victor Noël en Marcel-Henri Verdren; the group 

was later joined by Jo Delahaut, and changed its name into Geoform. 

Gabriel made sculptures, two dimensional works, jewellery and textile designs. He was one of 

the founders of the influential Leonardo Art Magazine, for which he wrote several articles on 

his works. Gabriel showed his works through several galleries in Antwerp (Galerij Louisa 

Muller), Brussel (Galerie St-Laurent) and Gent (Plus-Kern) and his work was praised by art 

critics Maurits Bilcke, Jaak Fontier, L.L. Sosset, Yves Desmet and Fons De Vogelaere. His 

works are very difficult to find on the art market. As usual the work is unsigned. 


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s 


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Michel Seuphor (Antwerpen 1901 – Paris 1999) 

Pour le plaisir, 20 avril 1973 

Chinese ink on paper 

67 x 51 cm 

Signed, titled and dated at the back 

Provenance: 

Collection Jan d’Haese, acquired directly from the artist. 


Seuphor : Bibliofiel Boek – Klein Ensemble, Deurle, Museum 

Dhondt-Dhaenens, 2/11/-18/11/1984. 

Bibliography: Seuphor (with catalogue raisonné), Anvers, Fonds Mercator, 1976, 

p. 293, n° 1973-60 

This drawing is a typical example of the zen-like technique Seuphor used, to make his drawings. 

Each trait is done by hand, and the image is made by negative, by leaving open space between 

the traits. As always there is an element of playfulness in the work by Seuphor. 

Jan D’Haese, poet, writer, gallery owner, critic, collector and artist, and Seuphor met for the 

first time in 1960. Both had a passion for the work of Guido Gezelle and Paul Van Ostajien. 

Both were poets. They continued to see each other frequently for the next 39 years. And Jan 

started collecting the work of his friend. 

He did not stop there. D’Haese became active in the organisation of shows in Belgium and as 

an art critic, started to write articles on Seuphor and helped re-establish the reputation of 

Seuphor in his home country. 


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Vic Temmerman (Overmere 1924 – Dendermonde 2018) 

Jumping Cat, 1969 

Cast in an aluminium and chrome alloy, on the original slate base 

89,5 x 36 x 24 cm (with base) 

Signed and dated at the back ‘Vic Temmerman 1969’ 

Provenance: 

family of the artist 

Today Vic Temmerman is a figure that is somewhat forgotten, due to the fact that most of his 

career was dedicated to teaching. He studied at St-Lucas in Gent and Brussels, and had a brief 

internship at the workshop of sculptor Harry Elström in Brussels. In 1955 he started teaching 

Sculpture at St-Lucas in Gent, and in later years he would also take on the lessons of Design. 

Teaching at the University of Kansas and at the summer university ‘Pro Peyresq’ meant that he 

spent a lot of his time abroad. Temmerman’s only solo exhibitions were in 1960 and 2007, and 

his whole oeuvre comprises very few small or medium sized sculptures. This sculpture is 

sandcast in an aluminium and chrome alloy, thus giving the metal a special rough surface. It is 

possible that this sculpture is unique. 


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Philippe Vandenberg (Gent 1952 – Brussel 2009) 

Large nude, 1982 

Collage, acryl and charcoal on paper 

224 x 149 cm (work), 238 x 178 cm with the original frame 

This work is sold with its certificate by the Philippe Vandenberg Foundation Ref. Nr. 22093028 

Provenance: 

Richard Foncke Gallery 


This large work by Vandenberg is one of the first of a series of large mixed media collages on 

paper made in 1982-1983. It is typical of the work of a young generation of painters that tried 

to fuse modern figurative painting with the expressive painting of the previous epochs. Most 

commonly labelled as ‘Neue Wilden’, as their German colleagues, it is a credit to Vandenberg 

that he didn’t limit himself to a reworking of the Flemish Expressionist legacy. Vandenberg’s 

influences came also from Ensor, El Greco and Goya as well as from fellow artists. 

Specifically in this work one can feel the influence of Cobra next to the monumental sense of 

movement we get in the large altarpieces by Rubens. 


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Roland Van den Berghe (Gent °1943) 

Shame of the society, June 1968 

Pencil or charcoal on canvas 

100 x 47 cm 

Signed, titled and dated at the back of the stretcher 

Provenance: Private collection 

Roland Van den Berghe is an artist often forgotten in the history of the Belgian avant-garde of 

the sixties and seventies. Van den Berghe studied at the Academy in his native city and 

quickly emerged as one of the leading conceptual artists of his generation. Instigator of 

performances, in the beginning often together with his friend, painter Dees De Bruyne (cfr. 

Supra) he founded ‘Reportage’, a series of highly influential happenings and exhibitions. His 

friend and collaborator Marcel Broodthaers and Roland Van den Berghe wanted to shake up 

the traditional Flemish artworld often using the media to make their point. Fiercely critical of 

contemporary society and of the Vietnam War, his works often depict images of media ‘Stars’ 

and politicians. 

This work is more enigmatic, made in an almost mannerist drawing style and close to the 

colour plates the artist is known for. Signed and titled at the back, this work was made when 

van den Berghe made the move from Gent to Amsterdam where he still lives and works 

today. 


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233

Roland Van den Berghe (Gent °1943) 

Vogelvrije Functie, 1970 

Collage and mixed media on paper 

57 x 39 cm 

Signed, titled and dated below ‘Roland Van den Berghe / “Vogelvrij Functie” / Brussel ‘70’ 


Roland Van den Berghe was a fierce critic of the Vietnam War. The ‘bomb’ works from 

around 1970 try to raise awareness with the public about the absurdity, triviality and cruelty 

of the war, often by combining everyday objects with an airplane bomb. 


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235

Paul Van Gysegem (Berlare °1935) 

dwars ijzer sculptuur (horizontal iron sculpture), 1962 

Painted iron 

95 x 104 x 25 cm 

Signed on the base: ‘Paul Van Gysegem’ 

This sculpture is unique 

Provenance: 

collection of the writer Jef Geeraerts; private collection 

Exhibited: Galerie Kaleidoscoop, Gent, 1963 

C.A.W. (?), Antwerpen, 1963 

Trefpunt, Gent, 1963 

This unique sculpture was welded by the artist himself. According to Van Gysegem, he never 

knows where the sculpture will take him, shaping the work in different stages and without a 

preliminary plan. Each work therefore has to be seen as an improvisation around a theme. The 

two legs suggest an anthropomorphic form, but the upper part seems to be all machine, partly 

due to the use of fragments of old and discarded farm utensils, collected by the artist. This 

juxtaposition of man/machine is central in the work of Van Gysegem. 

Paul Van Gysegem received his education at the Gent Academy and at the Higher Institute in 

Antwerpen. From 1955 to 2000 he taught sculpture at the K.A.S.K. (Royal Academy of Fine 

Arts) in Gent. Van Gysegem is rightly seen as one of the most important artists of his 

generation. 


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239


Composition, 1966 

Monotype and drawing in printers’ ink on paper 

54 x 70 cm 

Signed and dated bottom right ‘Paul Van Gysegem /‘66’ 


Also well known as a Free Jazz musician, improvisation and experiment have always been 

central in the work on paper by the artist. 

Van Gysegem was visiting a friend experimenting with screen prints, when he decided to use 

the technique of the monotype print. He drew onto metal plates on which he pressed large sheets 

of paper. The imprint was then elaborated with drawing. 


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241


Vertical Composition with collage, 1966 

Like all good sculptors, Van Gysegem was and is a prolific draughtsman, with an incredible technique. Van 

Gysegem trained as a painter and his large abstract composition are a typical example of his sense of composition 

and his eye for detail. His black and white drawings of the middle of the 1960’s are a two dimensional translation 

of his sculptures of the same period. 

Collage and drawing in printers’ ink on paper 

71 x 52,5 cm 

Signed and dated bottom centre ‘Paul Van Gysegem / 66’ 



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243


Large Composition, 1966 

Drawing in printers’ ink on paper 

68,5 x 94 cm (day measure) 

Signed and dated bottom right ‘Paul Van Gysegem /‘66’ 



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245

Paul van Rafelghem (born Brugge 1936) 

sculpture, 1974 

lead 

13 x 40 x 30 cm (dimensions variable) 

Signed and dated on the lead ‘garland’ at the right corner ‘P Van Rafelghem / 74’ 


Paul Van Rafelghem remained an artist not attached to any group or specific current. He studied 

at St-Lucas in Gent and at La Cambre in Brussels and later on taught sculpture at the Academies 

of Roeselare (1970-1975) and Gent (1975-2001). The artist liked to work with natural materials 

and found objects. In his work, the human form is deconstructed and put together with ‘natural’ 

and ‘cultural’ objects. The use of lead is of particular importance to him in the 1970’s. Van 

Rafelghem is to be situated between conceptual art, new realism and environmental art. 


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247

Frans Van Roosmaelen (Eeklo 1943 – Antwerpen 2013) 

Beeldstabilisator – 3 dimensional time scale, 1966 

Oil (?) and pencil on canvas 

82 x 101 cm 

Signed, titled and dated at the back of the strecher 


Frans Van Roosmaelen is one of the key figures in the Belgian avant-garde of the 1960’s. He 

met artist Roland Van den Berghe through gallerist Richard Foncke in 1966-67 and participated 

in the (in)famous Reportage exhibition with a.o. Marcel Broodthaers, Dees De Bruyne, 

Panamarenko, Roland Van den Berghe and Jacques Charlier. The works that he showed there 

were similar to the painting we propose here. It is possible that this work was shown at his show 

at the Trefpunt gallery in Gent in 1967 where the artist sold all the works on display. 

Later, Van Roosmaelen moved to Antwerp where he was active within the Ercola group and 

showed at Galerie De Zwarte Panter and Galerie Lens. From 1970 onwards Van Roosmaelen 

started moving away from the conceptual scene and began painting under the influence of the 

‘Neue Wilden’. 


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249

Ferdinand Vonck (Blankenberge 1921 – Brugge 2010) 

Totem, 1958 

Burned and polished wood 

75 x 4 x 2 cm 

Signed and dated at side near the bottom of the sculpture ‘Vonck ‘58’ 


Ferdinand or Fernand Vonck did not have a formal artistic training. Slowly gaining an interest 

in sculpture, he started making relief and wooden sculptures. In 1952 he became a member of 

the ‘Art Abstrait’ group. In 1956 he joined ‘Formes’ and in 1960 he was a founding member 

of ‘L’Art Construit’. It seems that Vonck really benefited from the contact with other artist, 

resulting in a boost of creativity. 

Although Vonck shifted slowly from making sculptures in wood towards constructing them in 

metal, the wooden sculptures have a much more ‘primitive’ and pure feel to them. The artist 

frequently called this type of sculptures ‘Totem’ and used burned wood to sculpt them. He 

polishing the wood thoroughly so that all hard edges were smoothened, giving the sculptures 

an old, ancient looking patina. 


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A collection 

of prints from 

the seventies. 

Ever since its invention, the printing technique has been a means to distribute art & 

knowledge to a larger public. In the second half of the 19 th century however, the printing 

craft suffered from competition with photographic techniques of reproduction and lost its 

meaning as a purely reproductive medium. Instead, printing became a means of expression for 

a variety of artists. The lower costs of this technique meant that art could be bought by the 

‘man in the street’. In the 20 th century prints have been popular throughout but the inter war 

period and the 1960-1970’s especially saw a printing boom. Screen print, making prints 

easier and cheaper to make, was the medium of choice for the modern artist of the ‘60s and 

‘70s. Pop Art could not have existed exist without the screen print technique. Exhibitions 

were organised solely devoted to print and ‘Print Prices’ went up throughout the world. The 

success of offset print and photography meant a steady decline in the amount and quality of 

prints during the ‘80s and ‘90s. This small collection was established in the seventies, to 

which we added some relevant prints. 


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253

Jim Dine (born Cincinnati (Ohio) 1935) 

(Two) Hands, 1970-76 

colour lithograph 

78,5 x 57 cm (sheet) 

Signed and dated in pencil bottom left ‘Jim Dine 1970-76’ 

Justified in pencil bottom left ‘77/150’ 

from Bathrobe, Hands, Ties, Saw, Rainbow, Boots (Williams College 34), published by Petersburg Press, 

London. 



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Jim Dine (born Cincinnati (Ohio) 1935) 

(Red) Bathrobe, 1970-76 

colour lithograph 

80,5 x 60 cm (sheet) 

Signed and dated in pencil bottom left ‘Jim Dine 1970-76’ 

Justified in pencil bottom centre ‘77/150’ 

from Bathrobe, Hands, Ties, Saw, Rainbow, Boots (Williams College 34), published by Petersburg Press, 

London. 



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257

Winfred Gaul (Düsseldorf 1928 - 2003) 

Untitled, 1971 

Screenprint on canvas 

90 x 64 cm 

Signed and dated at the back of the canvas ‘Gaul 71’ 

Justified at the back of the canvas ‘1/4’ 

With a typed label of ‘richard foncke gallery / Sint-Jansvest 18 / 9000 Gent’ 

Provenance: 

Richard Foncke Gallery 

Private collection, acquired from the above 

A rare screenprint on canvas, signed by the artist and justified in only 4 copies, of which this 

is number one. We have not been able to locate other copies of the same edition. We found 

one version in another colour, also on canvas but justified ‘VIII/X’ with Gallery 

Schlichtenmaier in Stuttgart. 


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259

Allen Jones (born Southampton (UK) 1937) 

Three-in-one, 1971 

screenprint 

79,5 x 69 cm (day measure) 

Signed and dated in pencil bottom right ‘Allenjones 71 


Another copy of this print belongs to the collection of the Tate in London 



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261

Man Ray (Philadelphia 1890 – Paris 1976) 

Magie de l’Image, 1971 

colour etching and aquatint 

49,5 x 39,5 cm (plate) 

Signed in pencil bottom right 

‘Man Ray’ 


Printed by Jacques David, Paris and published by Richard Binder, Brussels 



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Man Ray (Philadelphia 1890 – Paris 1976) 

Blue Hand (untitled), 1972 

colour etching and aquatint 

50,3 x 48,8 cm (plate) 

Signed in pencil bottom right 

‘Man Ray’ 


Printed by Jacques David, Paris and published by Richard Binder, Brussels 



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Panamarenko (Antwerpen 1940 – Brakel 2019) 


Offset lithograph in two tones 

56 x 76 cm 

Signed and dated in pencil top left ‘Panamarenko 73’ 

Justified in pencil top left ‘165/200’ 

Bibliography: 

50 Jaar Vrienden v/h S.M.A.K. collectie – Tentoonstellingen – Edities – Activiteiten, 

Antwerpen, VdH Books, 2007, p. 176. 


The edition from the “Vereniging van het Museum voor Hedendaagse Kunst” in Gent, one of 

the early graphic works by Panamarenko, in good condition. 


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Larry Rivers (New York 1923 – 2002) 

May Opening National Collection of fine Art Smithsonian 

Washington, 1968 

colour lithograph by Mourlot New York 

76 x 58,4 cm 

Unsigned, unframed 

An unsigned but very sixties pop lithograph by this American artist, having belonged to the 

collection of art critic and exhibition organiser Adolf Merckx (Celbeton). A similar unsigned 

example in the collections of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Collection. 


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Dan Van Severen (Lokeren 1927 – Gent 2009) 


etching 

30 x 24 cm (plate), 56 x 38 cm (sheet) 

Signed and dated bottom right ‘DanVS / 91’ 


Printed by Henri Hemelsoet (cat. rais. G/042) 


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Colophon 

This online catalogue was made to accompany our Winter Exhibition 2021. All works displayed are for sale. 

Texts and research: Raf Steel and Emmy Steel 

Editing and photography: Raf Steel and Emmy Steel 

Copyright: Galerie St-John, the authors and the artists. 

No part of this publication may be reproduced and / or published by means of print, photocopy, electronic 

medium or any other method (including translation) without the prior written permission of the authors. 

The publisher has done its utmost to request permission to all possible right holders regarding the use of (visual) 

material for this online publication. If we have overlooked something, please contact us. Any errors will be 

corrected in a subsequent issue. 


271

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siècles, de préférence d'origine belge. 

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• Organisation d'expositions, inventaires de collections, recherches dans le domaine de 

l'art 

What can we do for you? 

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preferably Made in Belgium. 

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historical research or catalogue entries. 

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collections, art historical research. 


272

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Advies bij Verdeling & Uitbouw van Collecties, Verzekering, Conservatie 

st-john.be 

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T. +32-9/225.82.62 

info@st-john.be 

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273

Winter 2021 Exhibition Catalogue

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