James Ensor
Ensor was born in 1860 in Ostend to a British father and a Belgian mother. He grew up in the souvenir shop run by his parents. The carnival masks they sold there
captivated Ensor from an early age. They eventually became an essential part of his work.
His talent led him to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. From there, he began an impressive career that would last nearly 70 years and produce some 850 paintings.
He began his artistic career as a portraitist and soon became involved in the avantgarde group "Les Vingt", founded in 1883, whose aim was to promote new artistic developments in Europe. Although Ensor was considered the leader and founder of the group, he did not share the same opinions as the other members. The group received a lot of criticism and disbanded ten years later.
This modern Flemish master had an irresistible thirst for experimentation. Ensor is considered a pioneer in many styles such as luminism, fauvism, cubism, expressionism, futurism and surrealism. Although he liked to experiment, certain themes recurred and are now the common thread in his work. In his paintings, for example, he often depicts masked figures, a reference to his childhood in the souvenir shop. The figure of death is also a constant in his art, as is his latent aversion to the bourgeoisie and established values, even though he himself was later made a baron.
This unique blend has given the world a number of unparalleled masterpieces, which are now on display in the world's greatest museums such as the Art Institute of
Chicago, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the MoMA in New York and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Belgium.
More than 70 years after his death, Ensor still travels the world.