KBR and the RMFAB are unpacking the exhibition “James Ensor. Inspired by Brussels”

The year 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of James Ensor’s death. In honour of the artist, KBR (Royal Library of Belgium) and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (RMFAB) will open the exhibition “James Ensor. Inspired by Brussels”. With this expo, both institutions will highlight a lesser known but key chapter in the Ostend artist’s life.

Bustling Brussels

James Ensor has left an indelible mark on his native Ostend. Less well known is that the artist spent his formative years in Brussels. After studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, he returned to Ostend, but his connections with the capital endured for the rest of his life. The artists, intellectuals and collectors he came to know there impacted the development of his idiosyncratic style.

More than 75 works

This exhibition introduces visitors to the impact the capital had on the work and life of the young Ensor. More than 75 works take the visitor on a journey to the places and encounters that shaped him, as a person and as an artist. As a visitor, you will admire some works never before exhibited from the extensive oeuvre of the master and discover several less well-known aspects of his work. The exhibition offers a rare opportunity to discover a large number of his drawings. Unique because Ensor’s drawn work is very fragile and therefore rarely displayed.

Ensor on the Mont des Arts

The paintings, drawings and prints in this exhibition come mainly from the rich collections of KBR and the RMFAB. Together, they hold more than 200 of Ensor’s works. Both collections have their origins in the 1890s, making them the oldest public Ensor collections. There are also some loans from private Belgian collections on display.

The Palace of Charles of Lorraine

The exhibition takes place at KBR and, more specifically, in the eighteenth-century Palace of Charles of Lorraine, which in Ensor’s day housed the Museum of Modern Art. There, from 1887, he exhibited controversial works with artists’ groups such as Les XX. It was a true meeting place for an avant-garde that shook the art world to its foundations. In this unique historical setting, the exhibition brings together an exceptionally large number of original works by the master.

Ensor inspires

That Ensor remains a source of inspiration even after his death is demonstrated in the exhibition by the work of several contemporary artists. Fréderic Coché, Adriaan Marin and Leen Van Hulst made an etching inspired by Ensor’s oeuvre especially for the exhibition. The first copies, purchased by KBR, will be on display in the exhibition. The etchings will be on sale in a limited edition for the duration of the exhibition. After this, no reprints will be made until the works fall into the public domain. They are therefore true collector’s items.

2024: Ensor Year in Belgium

The Ensor Year pays tribute to the Belgian grandmaster. In December 2023, the Ensor Year kicked off in his hometown of Ostend with a city-wide festival and the exhibition “Rose, Rose, Rose à mes yeux. James Ensor and still life in Belgium from 1830 to 1930” at Mu.ZEE, followed by the Brussels exhibitions “James Ensor. Inspired by Brusssels” at KBR and “James Ensor. Maestro” at Bozar opening in February 2024. In September 2024, Antwerp will take up the torch with four surprising exhibitions.

You can find more information about the exhibition in the press kit that you can download at the bottom of this page.