Ensor, discovery of an original self-portrait
At a public sale, the Royal Library of Belgium discovered a rare, small print by James Ensor dating from the early 1900s. At that time, Ensor engraved his self-portrait using drypoint etching on a copper plate. The resulting print is a full-length portrait where Ensor depicts himself dressed as a beach vagrant in winter clothing, with hat and heavy coat, his face weather-beaten by the harsh wind of the North Sea, a fisherman's basket in his left hand, his gaze intrusively focused on the viewer.
In order to verify the work's authenticity, the print was taken from its frame so as to analyse the type of paper used. On the back, this painstaking work revealed the address of "Mrs Emma Lambotte, 28 rue Louise, Antwerp", a writer and Liege-based painter and an important figure in the master's artistic career.
James Ensor (1860-1949) belonged to the avant-garde movements of the early 20th century, and left a body of original expressionist work. In 1883, the Ostend painter and engraver was one of the founding members of the Brussels avant-garde group "Les XX". But in Belgium in the 1880s and 1890s, the innovator met with the relative misunderstanding of his contemporaries. While his brilliant and visionary design still escapes classification even today, he is seen as the precursor to modern art.