Pierre Alechinsky
The Tomb of Ensor

The Tomb of Ensor

© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

The Tomb of Ensor
The Tomb of Ensor
CultureBelgian
Titles
  • The Tomb of Ensor
  • Le Tombeau d'Ensor
Date1961
Made inParis, France
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions67 3/8 × 80 in. (171.1 × 203.2 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number61.47
Non exposé

Explore Further

Object Type
DescriptionWith The Tomb of Ensor, Pierre Alechinsky paid homage to the great Belgian precursor of Expressionist painting, James Ensor (1860–1949). The leering masks and skeletal forms, as well as the high-key palette of shockingly bright and pretty colors, echo Ensor’s most macabre compositions. However, Alechinsky brings his unique dynamism to this ghostly masquerade. As he explained: “When I paint, I liberate monsters. They are the manifestations of all the doubts, searches, and groping for meaning and expression that all artists experience. One does not choose the content, one submits to it.”

ProvenanceThe artist; purchased by MFAH, 1961.

Exhibition History"Expressionism in Modern Art," Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, 1974.

"Art of the 20th Century: A Revelation," Congregation Beth Israel, Houston, October 14–24, 1982.

"Direction and Diversity: Twentieth Century Art in the Museum Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, May 21–September 3, 1988.

"Modern and Contemporary Art: Spotlight on the Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 7–August 27, 2000.

"Art at Midcentury: Spotlight on the Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, April 13–September 3, 2001.

"Europe 1900-1975: Selections from the Museum's Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, March 4, 2014–January 4, 2015.

"Confrontation: Keith Haring and Pierre Alechinsky," Nova Southeastern University Art Museum, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 27–September 25, 2022.

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Signed, dated, titled lower right: Alechinsky / IV / 1961 / le tombeau d'Ensor

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

7-3-65
Pierre Soulages
1965
Oil on canvas
66.11
22 August '61
Pierre Soulages
1961
Oil on canvas
61.45
For I Will Strike and I Will Soothe
Naudline Pierre
2022
Oil and enamel on canvas
2022.277
Petite Voix
Pierre Alechinsky
1963
Ink/wash on wove paper, mounted to canvas
77.348
lick your teeth, they so clutch
Rachel Jones
2021
Oil pastel and oil stick on canvas
2021.433
Circostanza eroica (Heroic Situation)
Enzo Cucchi
1981
Oil on zinc, oil on canvas
2018.286.A,.B
Untitled
Paul Mogensen
1966–1978
Oil and stand oil on canvas
78.230
Playing Shepherd
c. 1970
Oil and sand on canvas
71.64
Untitled (Night Sky No. 2)
Philip Smith
2022
Oil pastel, colored pencil, and gesso on canvas
2022.128
Good Morning
Khalif Tahir Thompson
2022
Oil on canvas, handmade paper, papyrus, velvet, raw silk fabric, newsprint, acrylic, leather mixed media
2023.228
Unfolding, Venice
Judit Reigl
1975
Acrylic and oil on canvas
2023.158
Provided
Vicky Colombet
2006
Pigment, oil, alkyd, and wax on canvas
2021.576