RIK WOUTERS A RETROSPECTIVE

10.03 > 02.07.2017

A prominent figure in Brabant’s Fauvism, Rik Wouters brought us brilliant and colorful art, far from the dramas that marked his existence until his early death in 1916 at the age of 33. Rik Wouters equally mastered painting, sculpting and drawing: his extraordinary career has made him an essential representative of Modern Art in Belgium.

The retrospective exhibition organized by the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, in partnership with the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, is exceptional. For the first time, the two museums bring together in one exhibition the most important collection of works by the illustrious Belgian artist of the early 20th century. Rare loans from private collections and major international museums complete the ensemble. This major exhibition closes the series of tributes linked to the centenary of the artist’s death.

The art of Rik Wouters is above all an abundance of colors and authentic, simple, touching subjects. Through his visual language, the construction of his subjects and the luminous richness of his palette, he developed an avant-garde style, while also being associated with artists like Ensor, then Cézanne and even Renoir. Rik Wouters was quickly appreciated by his contemporaries; his dazzling talent, although obstructed early on by the Great War and his illness, bequeaths to us a fascinating and masterful artistic legacy.

https://www.fine-arts-museum.be/en/exhibitions/rik-wouters