Pierre Alechinsky
The Tomb of Ensor

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Artist Pierre Alechinsky Belgian, born 1927

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

Not on view

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Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Object Type

PAINTING

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.

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