Search results for ""author paul huvenne""

Fred Bervoets (b. 1942) is a legend in the Belgian art world and revered by the younger generation of artists. For years he has made both expansive, teeming artworks and extremely traditional prints, the latter of which has seen him develop his own unique technique. Although his spontaneous and gestural style seems to accord with Expressionism, Fauvism or Cobra art, Bervoets is above all an idiosyncratic artist who uncompromisingly treads his own path and gives free reign to his imagination. A simple anecdote from a friend in a café might provide the catalyst for a work in which the story assumes new proportions and adopts its own twists. His personal life also engenders self-portraits or other types of artworks, all crowned with an essential degree of self-mockery and irony. Bervoets allows everyday events to expand into miniature universes governed by their own rules and laws. The horror vacui of his large paintings conceals countless details, all of which contribute to the narrative. Bervoets' works might seem playful but they are tinged with melancholy. His caricatural figures are compelled to stand their ground in a denuded world. They achieve this by completely surrendering, with the necessary humour, to the inevitability of life. In recent years, Bervoets has increasingly presented himself as a peintre-graveur. This means he does not use the etching technique as a method of reproduction but as a means of expression. Each and every one of his chaotic and colourful works testifies to his pictorial passions, consummate skill and unbridled energy. This book presents the evocative work produced by Fred Bervoets between 2015 and 2019, including his most recent Night Drawings series, the masterful embodiment of the nocturnal reveries and memories that persistently haunt his mind.

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With French as its working language, Cobra was pretty much the last truly European movement within Modernism. The group’s anarchic story is not just an important strand in art history — it remains as lively as ever and has inspired all sorts of artists who were never directly involved with Cobra. The work bequeathed to us by Karel Appel, Pierre Alechinsky, Constant, Corneille and other kindred spirits is as fascinating as ever, both raw and confronting, poetic and moving. It is with the same spirit of artistic joyfulness and freedom that this book showcases the masterpieces of Cobra art belonging to The Phoebus Foundation. With text contributions by Paul Huvenne, Johan Pas, Hilde de Bruijn, Laura Stamps, Piet Thomas, Piet Boyens and Naomi Meulemans. The preface was written by Karine Huts-Van den Heuvel.

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