James Ensor - Le peintre des masques

Ahead of the avant-gardes of the 20th century and opening the great tradition Surrealist of Belgian art, James Ensor (1860-1949) created, slowly, unconsciously, but with a sure logic, a kingdom of masks of which he will be king. It was for him the discovery of a country, province by province, with its picturesque places succeeding terrible places and its sad surroundings extending or separating the mad districts. Émile Verhaeren (1855‐1916) was a great friend of James Ensor and the first defender of his art, as well as, with this text from 1908, his first biographer.