James Ensor: Paintings and Drawings From the Collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp. This item is unavailable.James Ensor: Paintings and Drawings From the Collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp

Few artists of the late nineteenth century produced an oeuvre which is more bizarre, ironic, profound, and rich in interpretive possibilities than that of the Belgian painter James Ensor. His unusual motifs, which became unmistakable symbols of the absurdity of existence, influenced both German Expressionists and French Surrealists. This volume shows all the works from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts of Antwerp.

James Ensor grew up in the seaside town of Ostend, Belgium, where he returned after studying at the AcadEmie de Bruxelles, and worked for the rest of his life. Ensor painted in a studio that had once been his aunt and uncleis shell and souvenir shop, and although he shut its doors to the public, he left some of the merchandise as it was. As a leading member of the avant-garde group Les XX (The Twenty) he shared their harsh critical reception, but after Les XX disbanded, he continued to work and eventually won wide acclaim. By the time of his death in 1949 he had been made a baron, and his home is now the Ensor House museum.