Ferdinand Schirren @ Beaux-Arts

Schirren, whose work is well represented in the Royal Museums' holdings, is considered to be the first Belgian Fauve. Schirren has, however, languished in the shadow of Rik Wouters, whose groundbreaking works have a central place in our holdings. But thanks to recent acquisitions, the Museums' collection of Schirren's works now covers all the phases of his artistic evolution, as well as the various techniques he used. He began his artistic career as a sculptor. His major work, completed early in his career, is a head of Helena P. Blavatsky, a crucial figure in the Theosophical movement. This astonishingly expressive portrait, acquired in 2007, is unique in Schirren's multi-faceted sculptural output, and visitors will be able to discover it during the show. The Blavatsky bust is in a monumental vein, and could be understood as an interpretation that incorporates aspects of the fin-de-siècle Theosophical movement. However, Schirren's abrupt shift to painting and drawing in 1904 introduces us to an early 20th century artist who gave pride of place to colour, which he used to render forms. By 1906, working in the quiet of the Brabant countryside, he succeeded in creating work reminiscent of the 1905 watercolours by Matisse, Manguin and Camoin, painted at Collioure. Based on Schirren's oils from 1904 and the 1906 watercolours - including one from the Museum's holdings that displays a sort of vigorous Tachisme - visitors will discover an artistic career that operated on two levels. In the drawings, and the watercolours in particular, Schirren immediately displays a consummate ease and a daring that does not appear in his paintings before 1917 and his masterpiece, Lady Behind a Piano. Using colour as the primary means for building an all-encompassing oeuvre would become the overriding theme in Schirren's work for the rest of his life. His sculptures, however, show his talent for working in "black and white" and his eye for form. Between 1910 and 1912, he worked primarily in charcoal and sanguine. These drawings - interiors, nudes and portraits - show the artist's great sensitivity and expressiveness. The sheer range of Schirren's work, including sculpture, painting, watercolours and drawings, ensure that every visitor will find something of interest. Schirren's artistic focus on the inner life, with his intimate watercolours of fugitive materiality, leads us on a journey through his imaginary gardens.