Frans Pieter Lodewijk van Kuyck (9 June 1852,

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

- 31 May 1915, Antwerp) was a Belgian painter and graphic artist. He is also known for helping to establish

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in Mar ...

in Belgium.

Life and career

He came from a family of artists. His father was the painter, Louis Van Kuyck. His grandfather was also a painter, and his son was the architect, Walter Van Kuyck (1876–1934). He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and his first well-known work was the official poster for the

Exposition Universelle d'Anvers (1885) The Antwerp International Exposition (, ) was a world's fair held in Antwerp, Belgium, between 2 May and 2 November 1885. It covered , attracted 3.5 million visits and broke even after spending 4 million Belgian francs There were 25 official p ...

. Later, as a teacher at the academy, he became involved in the cultural and political life of Antwerp. In 1888, he became a provincieraadslid (county councilor) and, from 1891, served as an Alderman of Fine Arts on the Antwerp City Council. He also sat on the boards of several museums, including what is now the Plantin-Moretus Museum, and was chairman of the "Koninklijk Kunstverbond Antwerpen" (Cercle Royal Artistique). During his time in office, the Vlaamse Opera Company was officially established and monuments were erected for

Peter Benoit Peter Benoit (17 August 18348 March 1901) was a Flemish people, Flemish composer of Belgian nationality. Biography Petrus Leonardus Leopoldus Benoit was born in Harelbeke, Flanders, Belgium in 1834. He was taught music at an early age by his fa ...

Hendrik Conscience Henri (Hendrik) Conscience (3 December 1812 – 10 September 1883) was a Belgian author. He is considered the pioneer of Dutch-language literature in Flanders, writing at a time when Belgium was dominated by the French language among the upper c ...

and

Jan Van Rijswijck Jan Van Rijswijck (14 February 1853 – 23 September 1906) was a Belgium, Belgian lawyer, liberalism, liberal politician and journalist. Education He started his education at the boarding school of Melle, Belgium, Melle and continued his educati ...

. On his initiative, the city acquired Schoonselhof cemetery and created the

Nachtegalen Park Nachtegalen Park (Dutch language, Dutch: Nightingale Park) is a park located in the Antwerp, Belgium municipality of Wilrijk. It served as the Archery at the 1920 Summer Olympics, archery venue for the 1920 Summer Olympics. During World War II, ...

. He was also the driving force behind the purchase and restoration of the "Vleeshuis" (a Medieval Guild Hall). In addition, he oversaw the beautification and expansion of the Leysstraat in 1898. In the Summer of 1913, he wrote a pamphlet, ''De Dag der moeders'' (Mother's Day) and formed the first committee to promote its establishment as an official holiday.

Illustrations & writings

Georges Eekhoud Georges Eekhoud (27 May 1854 – 29 May 1927) was a Belgian novelist of Flemish descent, but writing in French. Eekhoud was a regionalist best known for his ability to represent scenes from rural and urban daily life. He tended to portray th ...

, ''Kermesses. Illustré de dix compositions de Frans Van Kuyck'', H. Kistemaeckers (1884) * Rosalie and

Virginie Loveling Virginie (Marie) Loveling (17 May 1836 – 1 December 1923) was a Flanders, Flemish author of poetry, novels, essays and children's stories. She also wrote under the pseudonym W. E. C. Walter. She did write sentimentally early in her career but ...

, ''Gedichten'' (stories, with illustrations by Van Kuyck), Ghent (1889) *

Max Rooses Max Rooses (10 February 1839 – 15 July 1914) was a Belgian writer, literary critic, and curator of the Plantin-Moretus Museum at Antwerp. Rooses was born in Antwerp, and went to school there up to 1858, after which he attended the University ...

, ''Oud-Antwerpen'', Watercolor paintings and drawings by F. Van Kuyck. Exhibition catalog, La Librairie Neerlandaise (1903). * Frans Van Kuyck and F. Jos Van den Branden, ''Hendrik Conscience 1812-1912'', J.-E. Buschmann (1912)

Selected works

File:Kuyck Knitting Girl.jpg, Kintting Girl File:VanKuyck-Children.jpg, Children in Front of the Cottage File:VanKuyck-Harvest.jpg, The Harvest File:VanKuyck-Scythe.jpg, Sharpening the Scythe

References

External links

Arcadja Auctions: More works by Van Kuyck

Drawings by Frans Van Kuyck {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Kuyck, Frans 1852 births 1915 deaths Artists from Antwerp 19th-century Belgian painters Belgian male painters 19th-century Belgian male artists 20th-century Belgian painters 20th-century Belgian male artists

Life and career

Illustrations & writings

Selected works

References

Further reading

External links