Flanders celebrates the mask master of the grotesque James Ensor
Published: Tuesday, Jan 23rd 2024, 12:00
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James Ensor (1860-1949) died 75 years ago. Belgium is celebrating its undisputed greatest Flemish painter of the 20th century with a lavish anniversary year. And: the reputation of the master of the grotesque, masks and skulls is increasingly spreading beyond Belgium's borders.
James Ensor's trademark is the use of masks and carnivalesque elements in an expressionist color scheme. Domestic scenes and socio-political panoramas are thus stylistically removed and deeper truths are revealed through the veiling of the faces. Throughout his life, Ensor did not shy away from his own face, distorting it into a skull in countless self-portraits.
Ensor thus placed himself in an art-historical tradition inspired by other masters of the grotesque such as Goya or Bosch. Harsh, almost caricature-like criticism of authorities such as the monarchy and Japanese influences can also be found in the painter's oeuvre.
Ostend as a stage
"When you see Ensor, you think he was a gentleman. But he was very interested in the popular, even the vulgar," says Xavier Tricot. As one of the leading experts on the master, he works as a curator at the Ensor House in Ostend. The Flemish coastal seaside town, where Ensor was born on April 13, 1860 to a British father and a Belgian mother, was practically the artist's permanent home and place of work and, not least, his stage. He performed there with an elegant and striking appearance until his death on November 19, 1949. "Ensor loved Ostend as a mystical place where light is of immense importance," says Tricot.
And Ostend loves its Ensor. So it is not surprising that the seaside resort with its 70,000 inhabitants is the epicenter during the first months of the anniversary year, before Antwerp takes over. An Ensor city festival offers more than 100 activities spread over the entire year - from an Ensor menu to smaller exhibitions. Not all the places where Ensor lived are still there, such as his mother's former souvenir store with its numerous masks and other exotic items, which was an important source of inspiration for the later painter. But you can follow in the footsteps of the centenary in Ostend using an app.
At the site of Ensor's last home, the Ensor Center invites art enthusiasts with all kinds of multimedia ideas and Ensor's apartment. The self-portraits are on display in the museum from March 21 to June 16, before the exhibition "Ensor's Imaginary Paradise", which opens on June 29, is dedicated to the relationship between the artist and Ostend. The series of tributes will conclude with the exhibition "Satire, Parody, Pastiche" on the satirical aspects of Ensor's oeuvre from September 19. And the exhibition at the neighboring Museum of Modern Art Mu.ZEE, entitled "Rose, Rose à mes yeux!", will run until April 14. Ensor's still lifes are contrasted with around 100 works.
Largest collection in Antwerp
The Flemish metropolis of Antwerp joins in the celebrations at the start of the fall. Here, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KMSKA), which has the largest Ensor collection in the world, will kick off with "In your wildest dreams" on September 28. In the show, the KMSKA explores the influence of Impressionism on Ensor. At the same time, the Fashion Museum is devoting itself to the question of masquerade and make-up under the title "Metamorfosis Ensor", while Cindy Sherman and James Ensor can be seen running in pairs in the "Anti-Fashion" show at the Photography Museum. And finally, the Plantin Moretus Printing Museum in Antwerp will also be taking part, showing "James Ensor's Search for Light" from September 28.
Brussels also celebrates
With so much celebratory spirit in the Flemish part of Belgium, the capital is not to be left behind. With 850 paintings over the course of his life, Ensor left behind an oeuvre that offers enough material for numerous events. On 22 February, the Palais Lothringen will kick off the series with "James Ensor: A Genius in Brussels", before "James Ensor, Maestro" at the Bozar cultural center on 29 February pays tribute to the composer and author's wide-ranging artistic activities.
In Switzerland, the Kunstmuseum Basel celebrated Ensor with a major exhibition in 2014. The exhibition "The Surprised Masks: James Ensor" was a collaboration with the KMSKA. The Kunsthaus Zug also showed works by Ensor for its 30th anniversary in 2020.
www.ensorhuis.be/de
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