Fantastically Real Belgian Modern Art from Ensor to Magritte October 15, 2021–March 6, 2022 About the Exhibition The Kunsthalle München is showcasing masterpieces of Belgian modern art from circa 1860 to 1960. With some 130 paintings, graphic works and sculptures, the exhibition illustrates how the art of this period constantly re-explored the boundaries between fantasy and reality. It highlighted both the unpretentious reality of everyday life and the secrets and mysteries that lie beyond the visible world. The exhibition traces the specific path taken by Belgian art, from realistic scenes of ordinary people and atmospheric landscapes to James Ensor’s fantastic masquerades, through to the surreal worlds of Paul Delvaux and René Magritte. In addition to major names such as these, the roughly 40 artists in the exhibition include numerous artists whose work is famous in Belgium but not widely known abroad, like Eugène Laermans, Constant Permeke, Marthe Donas and Rik Wouters. Reality Meets Fantasy Two opposing forces – the Real and the Fantastic – combine to weave the fascinating spell of Belgian art. The supernatural dwells in the back rooms of reality, where fantasy’s dreams and mysteries lurk in hidden corners. This phenomenon is based on the lifelike, highly detailed depictions of the early Flemish painting tradition by masters such as Jan van Eyck or Pieter Brueghel the Elder. In the modern era, the dualism of the Real and the Fantastic emerges as a central characteristic of Belgian art. On the one hand it continued to be closely associated with a Realist tradition. On the other hand, taking the real world as its starting point, the Fantastic invariably invoked the mystery of things, over and over again. Antwerp’s Modern Treasures in Munich The exhibition is a cooperation with the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, which loaned the majority of works on display. The current refurbishment of the museum offers a unique opportunity to show its highlights of modern art in the Kunsthalle München. Other important loans from museums and private collections complement this multifaceted presentation full of new discoveries. More Less Exhibition Leaflet James Ensor (1860–1949) The Intrigue, 1890 91,5 × 150 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community (CC0), Photo: Hugo Maertens Jan van Beers (1852–1927) The Emperor Charles V as a Child, 1879 143 × 151 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community (CC0), photo: Hugo Maertens Emmanuel Viérin (1869–1954) Old Bridge in Flanders, 1910 144,3 × 176 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp © Emmanuel Viérin, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2021, Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community, photo: Hugo Maertens Rik Wouters (1882–1916) Reading Woman, 1913 65,2 × 53,4 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community, photo: Hugo Maertens Edmond Van Dooren (1896–1965) Song of the Machines, 1945–1949 145,5 × 136,5 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp © Edmond Van Dooren, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2021, collection KMSKA – Flemish Community, photo: Hugo Maertens Gustave Van De Woestyne (1881–1947) The Two Springs, 1910 75 × 66 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community (CC0), photo: Hugo Maertens Henry van de Velde (1863–1957) Woman at the Window, 1889 113,5 × 135 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp © Henry van de Velde, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2021, Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community, photo: Hugo Maertens Constantin Meunier (1831–1905) Fisherman from Ostend, 1885 80,5 × 29,5 × 23,5 cm, bronze (1925) Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community (CC0), photo: Hugo Maertens Xavier Mellery (1845–1921) The Staircase, 1889 59 × 46 cm, black and red chalk on paper Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community (CC0), photo: Hugo Maertens René Magritte (1898–1967) Sixteenth of September, 1956 116,2 × 89,2 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp © René Magritte, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2021, Ch. Herscovici, Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community, Photo: Hugo Maertensv Eugène Laermans (1864–1940) The Blinde, 1898 135 × 176,5 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community (CC0), photo: Hugo Maertens James Ensor (1860–1949) The Skeleton Painter, 1896 37,7 × 46 cm, oil on wood panel Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community (CC0), Photo: Hugo Maertens James Ensor (1860–1949) The Intrigue, 1890 91,5 × 150 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community (CC0), Photo: Hugo Maertens Jan van Beers (1852–1927) The Emperor Charles V as a Child, 1879 143 × 151 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community (CC0), photo: Hugo Maertens Emmanuel Viérin (1869–1954) Old Bridge in Flanders, 1910 144,3 × 176 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp © Emmanuel Viérin, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2021, Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community, photo: Hugo Maertens Rik Wouters (1882–1916) Reading Woman, 1913 65,2 × 53,4 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community, photo: Hugo Maertens Edmond Van Dooren (1896–1965) Song of the Machines, 1945–1949 145,5 × 136,5 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp © Edmond Van Dooren, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2021, collection KMSKA – Flemish Community, photo: Hugo Maertens Gustave Van De Woestyne (1881–1947) The Two Springs, 1910 75 × 66 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community (CC0), photo: Hugo Maertens Henry van de Velde (1863–1957) Woman at the Window, 1889 113,5 × 135 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp © Henry van de Velde, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2021, Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community, photo: Hugo Maertens Constantin Meunier (1831–1905) Fisherman from Ostend, 1885 80,5 × 29,5 × 23,5 cm, bronze (1925) Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community (CC0), photo: Hugo Maertens Xavier Mellery (1845–1921) The Staircase, 1889 59 × 46 cm, black and red chalk on paper Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community (CC0), photo: Hugo Maertens René Magritte (1898–1967) Sixteenth of September, 1956 116,2 × 89,2 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp © René Magritte, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2021, Ch. Herscovici, Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community, Photo: Hugo Maertensv Eugène Laermans (1864–1940) The Blinde, 1898 135 × 176,5 cm, oil on canvas Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community (CC0), photo: Hugo Maertens James Ensor (1860–1949) The Skeleton Painter, 1896 37,7 × 46 cm, oil on wood panel Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Collection KMSKA – Flemish Community (CC0), Photo: Hugo Maertens From BR Rundschau Youtube By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy. Load video Always unblock YouTube Ask the Curator Youtube By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy. Load video Always unblock YouTube Audio Tour Start your audio tour here. Catalogue Fantastically real. Belgian Modern Art from Ensor to Magritte Edited by Roger Diederen, Nerina Santorius (Kunsthalle Munich), Herwig Todts (KMSKA). Published by Sandstein, 248 pages, 203 colour illustrations, 29,5 x 24,5 cm, hardcover. The catalogue will be available in german Language. Price at the Kunsthalle: € 32 Partners Newsletter The latest information about the exhibitions of the Kunsthalle München. You can unsubscribe any time. More information in our privacy policy. Newsletter Subscribe Ausstellung Exhibition Gallery Videos Catalogue Partners
