Guided Visit to the Permeke Exhibition
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the death of Constant Permeke, BOZAR – Centre for Fine Arts presents a major retrospective of 130 works by this important Flemish Expressionist. The American Club of Brussels is offering members and friends a guided visit to this exhibition which gives a contemporary vision of some of the themes explored by Permeke in the course of his career.
Constant Permeke (1886-1952) was a Belgian painter and sculptor, and a leading figure in the Flemish Expressionist movement. This exhibition presents, chronologically and thematically, more than 130 paintings, drawings, and sculptures that reveal the major themes in Permeke’s œuvre.
For Permeke, Expressionism was more an attitude to life than a style. His approach to art was, above all, instinctive. He had no equal when it came to depicting the hard life of ordinary working people, from the fishermen of Ostend to the rural life of a peasant in Jabbeke. The intimate bond that these people shared with the land and the sea fascinated him. Other recurring motifs in Permeke’s work include female nudes, the woman as a symbol of fertility, motherhood, the family, and the organic connection between humanity and nature.
In this show, Permeke’s works are flanked by those of two internationally renowned artists: Marlene Dumas and Thierry De Cordier. Their work offers a contemporary view on two of the themes that so moved Permeke: the nude and the natural landscape. Marlene Dumas (born in 1953 in Cape Town, South Africa) exhibits 10 drawings of nudes, while Thierry De Cordier (born in 1954 in Oudenaarde, Belgium) presents eight new landscape paintings, created especially for this exhibition.
Note: This visit is limited to a maximum of 15 participants.
Event Details
Date: Saturday, October 20
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Place: BOZAR – Palais des Beaux Arts, Rue Ravenstein 23, 1000 Brussels
Price: €20 for ACB and AWCB members; €25 for non-members
Sign up: Reservations are due by noon on Wednesday, October 17 by email (info@americanclubbrussels.org), online at www.americanclubbrussels.org, or by telephone to the ACB Office Manager (02/219.58.08). Payment to ACB at BE55 4279 1958 8144 (BIC/SWIFT: KREDBEBB) will confirm your reservation. Be sure to mention “Permeke” in the communications section of the virement. Cancellations are possible until noon on Wednesday, October 17. Participants canceling after this time, as well as no-shows, are charged the full cost of the event.
