Ensor & Brussels

The richly illustrated book explores the formative role of Belgium’s cosmopolitan capital in the making of Ensor in the European avant-garde

While Belgian artist James Ensor (1860–1949) is forever associated with his seaside hometown of Ostend, it was in the bustling capital of Brussels that he thrived as an artist and emerged as a central figure in the European avant-garde. The young painter settled in the city in 1877 and considered Brussels his second home until the turn of the century. This lavishly illustrated book explores the allure of Brussels, taking readers on a journey to discover the pivotal places, encounters and events that shaped Ensor as both an artist and a human being. With the master as a guide, the Belgian capital unfolds as a melting pot of prosperous bourgeois and struggling bohemians, conservative critics and rebellious artists, lively theatres and shadowy cafés. This publication showcases more than two hundred works by Ensor from the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (RMFAB). These comprehensive collections date back to the 1890s, representing the oldest public holdings of the ‘painter of masks’