The Ensor collections of the Royal Library (KBR) and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (RMFAB) will be brought together for the first time in one large collection.
Fans of the Belgian painter will be able to view some of his works at the ’James Ensor. Inspired by Brussels,’ exhibition, to be held from 22 February 2024 to 2 June 2024 at the Royal Library, the KBR announced in a press release.
The library and the museums are collaborating and thus bringing together their respective collections of the artist. The two public institutions were even the first to purchase the Flemish painter’s work.
“As early as 1892, the KBR Print Room purchased 25 engravings by the Ostend master. Three years later, in 1895, the KBR acquired an early masterpiece by the artist: ‘The Lampist’ (1880),” the press release stated.
With 20 paintings, 30 drawings and 40 engravings, the exhibition will bring together many original works by the Ostend-Brussels artist. It will be held in the Palace of Karel van Lotharingen, which now houses the KBR’s temporary exhibitions, but was home to the Museum of Modern Art in James Ensor’s time.
“Ensor is inextricably linked to Ostend, but Brussels also played a crucial role in his development as an artist. The master’s paintings and graphic works show the artistic attraction that Brussels held for Ensor and how the capital, its people and its artists inspired him for decades,” the statement continues.
Tickets are on sale for €15, except on 13 April 2024, when they will be lowered to €11 to celebrate the birthday of the painter, born in Ostend in 1860.
