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Giammarco Cappuzzo Fine Art
Ottavio Vannini (Florence, 1585-1644) Susanna and the Elders, circa 1615-1620 Oil on canvas 135 x 170 cm Provenance: private collection, Italy Literature: G. Papi, A New 'Susanna' by Ottavio Vannini, Paragone, 805 (3rd series, 132), 2017, pp. 30-33, col. pl. 34 Ottavio Vannini was born in Florence in 1585, as recorded in the city’s Baptismal Registers. According to the two scholars Dr. Gianni Papi and Dr. Filippo Gheri, this painting represents an important addition to Vannini’s catalogue, due to its brilliant pictorial quality and its embodiment of the painter's interests and ideas. The current work serves as a milestone for understanding Vannini’s Roman period, showcasing the impact that classicist artistic culture had on him after the second decade of the seventeenth century
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Marc Heiremans
dino martens
Dino Martens (Venice, 1894-1970) For Aureliano Toso Murano, Italy, 1953 Oriente Rubinio (model 5242) Free-blown glass decorated with enclosed ground glass, flattened zanfirico pieces and transparent coloured glass squares H 34 x Ø 14.5 cm Provenance: acquired from an important German collection Literature: Heiremans M, Dino Martens, Muranese glass designer, Stuttgart, 1999; Heiremans M, Vetreria Aureliano Toso, Murano 1938-1968, Stuttgart, 2016 Exhibitions: XXVIa Espoizione Biennale Internazionale d'Arte, Venice 1952; Vidros de Murano em Lisboa, Lisbon 1961 The present object represents not only the Muranese fifties in full splendor by the combination of bold primary colors but is on its own also emblematic for the glass designs of the Venetian painter Dino Martens. Technically seen, it is the culmination of Martens experiments in coloring glass through ground glass. This series was presented as the 'Oriente', named after their vivid coloring - at the time a novelty on Murano - which reminded Martens of his years in East Africa. The line was firstly presented at the XXVI Biennial of Venice in 1952. Though seemingly arbitrarily, the composition - which consists of ground glass, transparent colored glass squares, flattened zanfirico canes and fragments of broken reticello vessels - was first carefully arranged on a flat surface before being heated and picked-up with a colorless blown form. Iconic because designed by a painter, alien to glass making.
Patrick Derom Gallery
léon spilliaert
Léon Spilliaert (Ostend 1881-1946 Brussels) Wall-Mounted Cabinet with Cup and 'Le Carillon,' 1908 Indian ink, brush, watercolour, wax crayon on paper 73.4 x 52.2 cm (day) Signed and dated bottom left: LSpilliaert / 08 This work will be included in the forthcoming Léon Spilliaert catalogue raisonné currently being prepared by Dr. Anne Adriaens-Pannier Provenance: Madeleine Spilliaert collection; Frederik van Rossum collection; private collection Literature: Anne Adriaens-Pannier, Spilliaert. Le regard de l’âme, Ludion, Ghent, 2006, ill. 61, pp. 51-52; Anne Adriaens-Pannier, Léon Spilliaert. From the Depths of the Soul, Ludion, Antwerp, Brussels, 2019, ill. 61, p. 52; Anne Adriaens-Pannier, Léon Spilliaert: A Discerning Eye, London, 2020, ill., p. 16; Anne Adriaens-Pannier, Solitude féminine, intérieurs insolites, in Léon Spilliaert. Avec la mer du Nord… Snoeck, Lausanne, Ghent, 2023, p. 7, ill. p. 81; Norbert Hostyn, Léon Spilliaert, Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Ludion, Flammarion, Ghent, 1996, ill. 44a, p. 93; Fr.-Cl. Legrand, Léon Spilliaert et son époque, Fonds Mercator, Antwerp, 1981, cat. 68, ill., p. 67 Exhibitions: 1972, Brussels, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Hommage à Léon Spilliaert / Hulde aan Léon Spilliaert, cat. 28; 2006, Brussels, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Léon Spilliaert, Un esprit libre / Een vrije geest / A free spirit, cat. 79 (ill.); 2016, Ostend, Het Spilliaert Huis, Ontmoetingen met Spilliaert / Rencontres avec Spilliaert / Encounters with Spilliaert, cat. 1; 2019-2020, Lodève, Musée de Lodève, Ensor, Magritte, Alechinksy… Chefs-d’oeuvre du Musée d’Ixelles, cat. 44 (ill.); 2023, Lausanne, Fondation de L’Hermitage, Léon Spilliaert. Avec la Mer du Nord… cat. 43 (ill.), p. 81; 2023-2024, Neuss, Clemens Sels Museum, Gewagte Visionen. George Minne und Léon Spilliaert. Vom Symbolismus bis Expressionismus, cat. 45 (ill.), p. 43
Douwes Fine Art b.v.
melchior d'hondecoeter
Melchior d'Hondecoeter (Utrecht 1636-1695 Amsterdam) The bird concert, a family of ducks near a pond with a farm in the background, circa 1666 Oil on canvas 102.5 x 87.5 cm Traces of signature at lower right: M. With thanks to Dr Fred Meijer who wrote a certificate for the work on 9 August 2024, confirming the authenticity of the artwork Provenance: sale collection Konstantin Tifoxilos, Vienna, Wawra, 28 November 1904, lot 75, b&w ill. opposite title page; Galerie Arnot, London 1919; Heirs to Minister Dr. H. Sulzer, Winterthur; Gebr. Douwes Fine Art, Amsterdam, n° 8377, 1968 shown at the Delftse Antique Fair; private collection, The Netherlands; thence by descent to the current owners Exhibition: Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Der unbekannte Winterthurer Privatbesitz 1500-1900, September-October 1942 (Kunstverein Winterthur), cat. n° 145
Galerie von Vertes
georges braque
Georges Braque (Argenteuil 1882-1963 Paris) Les oiseaux dans le paulownia, 1957 Oil and sand on canvas 87 x 107.2 cm Claude Laurens confirmed the authenticity on 5 February 1990 Provenance: Galerie Louise Leiris (Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler), Paris; Lake collection, Osaka (ca. 1989); private collection, Japan (ca. 2001 acquired from the above); iArt Co., Ltd., Tokyo, sale 28 September 2019, lot 83; private collection (acquired from the above) Exhibitions: Bordeaux, Galerie des Beaux-Arts and Strasbourg, Musée d'Art Moderne, Georges Braque en Europe, May-November 1982, p. 240, n° 84 (ill. p. 241); Osaka, Honobono Gallery, Exhibition of Georges Braque, 20 March-20 April 1990, n° 42 (ill. in colour)
Florian Kolhammer
josef hoffmann
Josef Hoffmann (Brtnice 1870-1956 Vienna) Vase with etched decoration 'Orange Opal Aussen Schwarz' Mould-blown glass, etched decoration H 8 x Ø 11.5 cm Designed by Josef Hoffmann and executed by Johann Loetz Witwe, one of only two pieces, executed either in 1911 or 1914 Provenance: private collection Prague, Czechia Literature: A. Adlerova, E. Ploil, H. Ricke, T. Vlcek (ed.), Loetz-Böhmisches Glas 1880-1940, vol. I, Werkmonographie, Prestel publ., Munich 1989, p. 271 (similar vase in the museum Bergreichenstein); A. Adlerova, E. Ploil, H. Ricke, T. Vlcek (ed.), Loetz-Böhmisches Glas 1880-1940, vol. II, paper pattern catalogue, Prestel, Munich 1989, paper pattern 8031, p. 218; Jitka Lnenickova, Loetz/Series II. Paper Patterns for Glass from 1900 to 1914, Museum Sumavy, Susice 2011, n° II-8031, p. 755; Waltraud Neuwirth, Loetz Austria 1905-1918, Glass, self-published Dr. Waltraud Neuwirth, Vienna 1986, depiction 303, p. 323 In the early 1910s, Josef Hoffmann had reached the peak of his creative powers. He was very well connected in the art scene of the time and carried out commissions for both private individuals and the state. The etched glass vases that he had made by the Loetz glass manufactory for the winter exhibition at the Austrian Museum of Art and Industry in 1911 are certainly amongst his most important decorative arts designs from this period.
HELENE BAILLY Paris-Genève
kees van dongen
Kees Van Dongen (Delfshaven 1877-1968 Monte-Carlo) Bouquet de fleurs, circa 1950 Oil on canvas 55 x 38 cm Signed lower right: Van Dongen and countersigned on the back on the stretcher: Van Dongen This work will be included in the digital Catalogue Raisonné of Kees Van Dongen's work which is being prepared by the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, Inc. Notice of inclusion dated 28 May 2024 Provenance: Galerie Romanet, Paris; private collection, acquired from above (before 1999); Kunsthandel Frans Jacobs, Amsterdam; Jan-Dirk Paarlberg, Amsterdam, acquired from above
Van der Meij Fine Arts
janus la cour
Janus la Cour (Denmark, Tim Parish 1837-1909 Odder) From Bordighera, 1898 Oil on canvas 45 x 73.5 cm Signed lower right: 5.I.98 janus la Cour Provenance: estate auction Janus la Cour, Charlottenborg Copenhagen, December 1909, lot 119; private collection, Copenhagen Literature: Rikard Magnussen, Landskabsmaleren Janus la Cour. 1837-1909 (Copenhagen, 1928), n° 780
Galerie Cento Anni
edouard marcel sandoz
Edouard Marcel Sandoz (Basel 1881-1971 Lausanne) Fennec assis, circa 1922 Bronze H 13 cm Signed Ed. Sandoz, foundry stamp Susse frères, Paris Lost wax Provenance: private collection, Belgium Literature: Félix Marcilhac, Sandoz sculpteur figuriste et animalier, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 1993. Model repr. p. 365
Florian Kolhammer
Seating ensemble (pair of chairs and table) Moritz Herrgesell (Vienna, 1853-1952) School of Koloman Moser, Vienna, circa 1902 Lacquered beech Table H 77 x W 50.5 cm Chairs H 96 x W 55 x D 55 cm Provenance: private collection Vienna, Austria Literature: Hochschule für angewandte Kunst in Wien (ed.), Koloman Moser 1868–1918, exh. cat., Vienna 1979, p. 203; Leopold Museum (ed.), Koloman Moser 1868-1918, exh. cat., Prestel 2007, pp. 204-205, 206; Hochschule für angewandte Kunst (ed.), Koloman Moser. Graphik Kunstgewerbe Malerei, Salzburg and Vienna 1984, p. 163, 241; Christian Witt-Dörring (ed.), Koloman Moser. Designing Modern Vienna 1897–1907, Prestel Verlag, München, London, New York 2013, pp. 138, 144, 159, 185, 193 Moritz Herrgesell studied architecture at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts from 1901 to 1905. His famous teacher was none other than Josef Hoffmann. Herrgesell benefited above all from the fact that the ties between the Vienna Secession, artisans and the School of Arts and Crafts were particularly close at this time and that there was frequent creative exchange between individual classes and their teachers. This special situation also brought Moritz Herrgesell into contact with other renowned artists during his studies. The most influential role model here was the famous Viennese universal artist Koloman Moser. Hoffmann attested to Herrgesell's 'great talent and taste' and recommended him 'as completely capable and skillful in all these tasks'. Moritz Herrgesell's particular style can already be seen in his early design from 1903. The influence of his teachers is initially omnipresent and clearly noticeable. In the years that followed, however, his personal interpretation of furniture design became tangible. Herrgesell also regularly took part quite successfully in exhibitions and competitions. After completing his studies, he worked in his parents' carpentry business and showed his designs with great success at national and international exhibitions and competitions. The seating group shown here can be regarded as one of Moritz Herrgesell's first completely independent works from his early creative period. The influences of his mentor Koloman Moser are clearly evident, but it is the fine details that clearly set Herrgesell's design apart. This ensemble from the heyday of Viennese furniture art around 1900 is a rare museum piece from the circle of the most important artists of the time.
Gilden's Art Gallery
rene magritte
René Magritte (Lessines 1898-1967 Brussels) Le Bouchon d'Epouvante from 'L'Aube à l'Antipode', 1966 Etching on wove paper Paper size: 38.4 x 28.6 cm Image size: 17.8 x 13 cm Hand signed in pencil lower right margin 'Magritte' and numbered in pencil lower left margin, edition of 17 This work was printed in 1966 at the studio of J. Rigal, Paris and published in a limited edition of 17 hand signed and numbered impressions for the series 'L'Aube à l'Antipode' (Dawn of the Antipode). It is from the rare suite of 17 hand signed etchings. There is also a suite of 77 where only two of the etchings (La Comtesse de Monte Cristo and Les Deux Mystères (Ceci n'est pas une pipe) are signed in pencil Literature: Gilbert E. Kaplan & Timothy Baum, 1982. The Graphic Work of René Magritte. New York: II Editions Reference: Kaplan & Baum 11
Galeries AB & BA
joan miró
Joan Miró (Barcelona 1893-1983 Palma de Mallorca) Untitled, 1949 Oil, watercolour, pastel crayon and charcoal on paper 32.5 x 25 cm Signed and dated on reverse, 1949 Provenance: Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York; J. Reiss collection, Wisconsin; private collection, Paris Literature: J. Dupin and A. Lelong-Mainaud, Joan Miró, Catalogue raisonné, Drawings II, Editions Daniel Lelong – Successió Miró, 2010, vol. II, p. 185, n° 1184 Exhibition: Milwaukee Art Center, Wisconsin Collects, 24 September-25 October 1964, p. 15, cat. 132
Romigioli Antichità
Standing Madonna with Child, circa 1290-1310 Polychrome sandstone (and restorations) Northern Spain (in particular the cultural area between Castilla and Léon, La Rioja, the Basque Country and Navarre) H 102 x W 65 x D 42 cm Provenance: collection Costantino Nigro, Genoa Condition: the lower part of the statue is missing Literature: attribution and critical reading by Professor Luca Mor Exhibition: Biaf-Biennale Internazionale di Firenze, 2022
Cabinet of Curiosities-Honourable Silver Objects
Van Cleef & Arpels brooch, Paris, 18K with 201 brilliant and 40 cabochon onyx stones, signed and numbered, circa 1960 Cartier bracelet, Paris, 18K trinity yellow gold with brilliant approx. 6.45 ct, signed and numbered Cartier earrings, Paris, 18K trinity yellow gold with 90 diamonds 1.80 ct, signed and numbered Provenance: private collection
Galerie Florence de Voldère
isaak soreau
Isaak Soreau (Frankfurt, 1604-1644) Still life Oil on panel 60 x 86 cm From a Tournai family settled in Hanau, Isaac Soreau was apprenticed to his father Daniel Soreau, whose workshop was taken over by Sébastien Stoskopff. At the age of 22, he left for Antwerp, where his encounter with Jacob van Hulsdonck and his work proved decisive. Could he have been his pupil? This remains a subject of debate for art historians.
Galerie de la Présidence
albert marquet
Albert Marquet (Bordeaux 1875-1947 Paris) Stockholm, Strandvägen ciel clair, 1938 Oil on panel 33.2 x 41.2 cm Signed lower left This work will be included in the Marquet digital catalogue raisonné, in preparation by the Wildenstein Plattner Institute Provenance: Albert Marquet collection, Paris; on consignment with Gösta Olson, Svensk-Franska Konstgalleriet, Stockholm; returned to Albert Marquet, Paris June 21, 1938; Madame Albert Marquet collection, Paris, by descent from above, (1947); Alex Maguy collection, Galerie de l’Elysée, Paris; sale Sotheby’s & Co, London, March 31, 1965, n° 110; private collection, Switzerland Exhibition: Utställning Albert Marquet, Svensk-Franska Konstgalleriet, Stockholm, April-May 1938, n° 38, p. 11
J. Baptista
'Minas Novas' necklace Silver and quartz Portugal, 18th century Weight 100.5 gr. 9.5 x 33.5 cm Articulated links studded with 'Minas Novas' (colourless quartz) with a large bow in the centre, applications of stylised botanical elements and a removable dove Literature: similar pieces illustrated in Orey, Leonor d'-Cinco Séculos de Joalharia-Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Instituto Português de Museus/Zwemmer, Lisbon/London, 1995, pp. 92-94
Gilden's Art Gallery
marc chagall
Marc Chagall (Vitebsk 1887-1985 Saint-Paul de Vence) Peintre, Ange et Amoureux, 1980 Tempera on masonite 40.6 x 34.9 cm Signed lower right corner 'Marc Chagall' Inscribed, signed and dated verso 'Tempera/Marc Chagall/1980' The work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Chagall Committee from 31 March 1992 issued by Jean-Louis Prat Provenance: Sotheby's New York, Sale 7132, 14 May 1998, lot 366; Collection of Bridget & Jerome Dobson, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Galerie Oscar De Vos
frits van den berghe
Frits Van den Berghe (Ghent, 1883-1939) The poor, 1925 Oil on canvas 177 x 115 cm Signed lower right 'FVBerghe' Provenance: collection Paul-Gustave Van Hecke, Brussels; collection Walter Schwarzenberg, Brussels; collection Victor Sevranck, Brussels; collection Maurice & Yvonne Naessens, Meise (Brussels) Literature: P. Boyens, Sint-Martens-Latem. Kunstenaars dorp in Vlaanderen (Tielt: Lannoo, 1992), p. 443, p. 525, n° 160 (ill.); Boyens, P., G. Marquenie & W. Van den Bussche, Retrospectieve Frits Van den Berghe, exh. cat. (Ostend: PMMK, 1999), p. 104, n° 64 (ill.); Boyens, P., Frits Van den Berghe. Oeuvre catalogue (Ghent: SDZ, 1999), p. 203, n° 385 (ill.); Boyens, P., Een zeldzame weelde. Kunst van Latem en Leiestreek 1900-1930, exh. cat. (Ghent/Amsterdam: Ludion, 2001), p. 191, n° 229 (ill.); Carpentier-Lebeer, G., P. Baert-Jaspers, J. D'Haese e.a., Maurits ter ere van het Vlaams expressionisme (Antwerp: Bank van Parijs en de Nederlanden/Mercatorfonds, 1983), n° 143 (ill.); De Jonge, C.H., K.G. Boon, J.V.C. Hefting e.a., Vlaamse kunstenaars van de Leie 1890-1940, exh. cat. (Utrecht: Centraal Museum, 1947), p. 28, cat. n° 10 (ill.); Denninger-Schreuder, C., Vlaamse expressionisten, exh. cat. (Kortenhoef: 1993), p. 20, p. 23 (ill.); De Ridder, A., Les expositions à Bruxelles. Le Salon des IX, in: Sélection VI, n° 1 (Brussels: 1926), p. 40 (ill.); De Ridder, A., L'Evolution de Frits Van den Berghe, in: Sélection, cahier 12 (Brussels: 1931), p. 74 (ill.); De Ridder, A., In memoriam Frits Van den Berghe, de kunstenaar (Ghent: Vooruit, 15.10.1939); De Ridder, A., Frits Van den Berghe, exh. cat. (Brussels: Palais des Beaux-Arts, 1962), cat. n° 33 (ill.); Exh. cat. Brussels (1960), n° 7, pl. 39 (ill.); Fierens, P. & J. Cassou, Laethem-Saint-Martin, colonie d'artistes en Flandre 1890-1940, exh. cat. (Paris: Musée National d'Art Moderne, 1948), n° 52 (ill.); Fierens, P. & N. Margue, Laethem-Saint-Martin, colonie d'artistes en Flandre, exh. cat. (Luxembourg: Musées de l'Etat, 1948), n° 52 (ill.); Hoozee, R., M. Tahon-Vanroose & S. Bown-Taevenier, Frits Van den Berghe (Ghent: Gemeentekrediet/Stad Gent, 1983), p. 115, p. 408, n° 69 (ill.); Hoozee, R., W. Van den Bussche, P. Boyens e.a., Expressions Flamandes 1900-1930, exh. cat. (Villeneuve d'Ascq: Musée d'Art Moderne, 1988), p. 99, p. 123 (ill.); Hoozee, R., P. Boyens & W. Van den Bussche, Pioniers van het Vlaams Expressionisme, exh. cat. (Groningen: Groninger Museum, 2004), p. 81 (ill.); Hoozee, R., M. Miyazawa, Light of Flandres. Images of a beautiful Belgian Village, exh. cat. (Japan: Himeji City Museum of Art, Bunkamura Museum of Art & Okuda Genso Sayume Art Museum, 2010), p. 131, p. 147, n° 87 (ill.); Langui, E., Frits Van den Berghe (Ghent: Vooruit, 1933) 12 (ill.); Langui, E., Frits Van den Berghe 1883-1939. Beschrijvende catalogus van zijn geschilderd oeuvre (Brussels: Laconti, 1966), n° 195 (ill.); Langui, E., Frits Van den Berghe 1883-1939 (Antwerp: Mercatorfonds, 1968), p. 81, p. 307, n° 195 (ill.); Langui, E., Het expressionisme in België (Brussels: 1970), p. 105, 62 (ill.); Langui, E. Espressionisti fiamminghi - Da Ensor a Permeke, exh. cat. (Rome: Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, 1977), n° 79; Pauwels, P.J.H., Als een fonkelenden spiegel (Sint-Martens-Latem: Galerie Oscar De Vos, 2019), p. 256 (ill.); Schimmel, P. & H. van Leuven, Flemish expressions, representional painting in the twentieth century (Tielt/Newport: Lannoo/Newport Art Museum, 1986), p. 169, n° 113 (ill.); Sosset, L.-L., Un peintre insolite, Frits Van den Berghe, in: Les Beaux-Arts (Brussels: 4 May 1962), p. 5; Schoonbaert, L.M.A. & K. Peereboom, Flemish Expressionism, exh. cat. (Tampa & Antlanta: The Tampa Museum & High Museum of Art, 1980), n° 64 (ill.); Vanbeselaere, W., De Vlaamse Schilderkunst van 1850 tot 1950. Van Leys tot Permeke (Brussels: 1959), p. 259, p. 262, n° 87 (ill.); Van Cauteren, K. e.a., OER. De wortels van Vlaanderen, exh. cat. (Antwerp: The Phoebus Foundation, 2017), pp. 244-245 (ill.); Van Cauteren, K. e.a., Coming home. Flemish art 1880-1930 (Antwerp: The Phoebus Foundation, 2017), pp. 348-349 (ill.); Van Hecke, P.-G. (1947), pl. 50 (ill.) Exhibitions: Brussels 1925, n° 123; Antwerp 1926, n° 17; Brussels 1927, n° 18; Antwerp 1940, n° 61; Brussels 1946, n° 153; Utrecht & The Hague 1947, n° 10; Luxembourg 1948, n° 52; Paris 1948, n° 52; Charleroi 1958, n° 11; Antwerp 1959, n° 37; Brussels 1960, n° 7, pl. 39; Brussels 1962, n° 33; Rome 1977, n° 79; Tampa & Atlanta 1980, n° 64; Antwerp 1983, n° 143 (ill.); Ghent 1983, n° 69; Newport Beach 1986-1987, n° 113; Fort Lauderdale 1987, n° 113; Sint-Martens-Latem 1987 (ill.); Villeneuve d'Ascq 1988, p. 99; Kortenhoef 1993, p. 23; Ghent/Deurle/Deinze, 2001, n° 229; Groningen 2004, n° 1; Japan 2010, n° 85; Ghent 2017, p. 244 ‘The Poor’ (1925) is the expressionist masterpiece by renowned Belgian artist Frits Van den Berghe to be presented. This painting, from the prestigious collections of Paul-Gustave Van Hecke, Walter Schwarzenberg, Victor Sevranckx, and Maurice & Yvonne Naessens, is a powerful social pamphlet and one of Van den Berghe's most important works. ‘The Poor’ features a telling double scene, centring on the stark contrast between wealth and poverty. Outside in the snow, a skinny wanderer wanders, while inside a beneficent woman wallows in abundance, illustrated by the image of her breastfeeding a piglet. The colours in the painting - the chilly blue versus the warm red-pink - reinforce the emotional charge of this contrast. Van den Berghe's work from 1922-1925 reflects his fascination with Flemish rural life, imbued with irony and social commentary. In Afsnee, where he worked with artists such as Gustave De Smet and Constant Permeke, he painted ‘The Poor’ in 1925, a work that expresses deep human sympathy with the harsh reality of the Flemish countryside. The painting is characterised by its narrative power and shows Van den Berghe's keen observation of social inequality. The tramp in the snow, accompanied by his faithful dog, symbolises the hopelessness of poverty, while the woman in her warm, rosy surroundings symbolises opulence and waste. Van den Berghe thus offers a philosophical reflection on the human condition, in which wealth and poverty exist side by side. Frits Van den Berghe (1883-1939) was a prominent Belgian artist and a key figure within Flemish expressionism. His work is characterised by strong colours, dramatic contrasts and emotionally charged scenes that often reflect the hard existence of man in the Flemish countryside. Van den Berghe began his career as a symbolist, but found his true voice in expressionism, in which he depicted themes such as loneliness, poverty and alienation. His masterpieces, such as ‘The Poor’ (1925), show his deep compassion for ordinary people and his sharp social criticism.