''Les XX'' (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

; "''Les Vingt''"; ; ) was a group of twenty Belgian painters, designers and sculptors, formed in 1883 by the

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

lawyer, publisher, and entrepreneur

Octave Maus Octave Maus (12 June 1856 – 26 November 1919) was a Belgian art critic, writer, lawyer and cousin of the painters Anna and Eugène Boch. Maus worked with fellow writer/lawyer Edmond Picard, and they together with Victor Arnould and Eug ...

. For ten years, they held an annual exhibition of their art; each year 20 other international artists were also invited to participate in their exhibition. Painters invited include

Camille Pissarro Jacob Abraham Camille Pissarro ( ; ; 10 July 1830 – 13 November 1903) was a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas (now in the US Virgin Islands, but then in the Danish West Indies). ...

(1887, 1889, 1891),

Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...

(1886, 1889),

Georges Seurat Georges Pierre Seurat ( , ; ; 2 December 1859 – 29 March 1891) was a French post-Impressionist artist. He devised the painting techniques known as chromoluminarism and pointillism and used conté crayon for drawings on paper with a rough ...

(1887, 1889, 1891, 1892),

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...

(1889, 1891),

Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter whose work introduced new modes of representation, influenced avant-garde artistic movements of the early 20th century a ...

(1890), and

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...

(1890, 1891 retrospective). ''Les XX'' was in some ways a successor to another group,

L'Essor (fr. ''Progress'') is the state-owned national daily newspaper published in Bamako, Mali. Its motto is "''La Voix du Peuple''" ("The Voice of the People"). History was first published in 1949, and from 1953 was the official publication of the ...

. The rejection of

James Ensor James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor (13 April 1860 – 19 November 1949) was a Belgian painter and printmaker, an important influence on expressionism and surrealism who lived in Ostend for most of his life. He was associated with the artistic ...

's '' The Oyster Eater'' in 1883 by L'Essor Salon, following the earlier rejection by the Antwerp Salon, was one of the events that led to the formation of ''Les XX''. The ideal of the group responded to the theories of Viollet le Duc, in particular that of the integration of the so-called minor arts (decorative arts) with the major arts (architecture). In 1893, the society of ''Les XX'' was transformed into "''

La Libre Esthétique ''La Libre Esthétique'' ( French; "The Free Aesthetics") was an artistic society founded in 1893 in Brussels, Belgium to continue the efforts of the artists' group '' Les XX'' dissolved the same year. To reduce conflicts between artists invited o ...

''".

History

''Les XX'' was founded on 28 October 1883 in Brussels and held annual shows there between 1884 and 1893, usually in January–March. The group was founded by 11 artists who were unhappy with the conservative policies of both the official academic Salon and the internal bureaucracy of ''

'', under a governing committee of twenty members. Unlike ''L'Essor'' ('Soaring'), which had also been set up in opposition to the Salon, ''Les XX'' had no president or governing committee. Instead

(a lawyer who was also an art critic and journalist) acted as the secretary of ''Les XX'', while other duties, including the organization of the annual exhibitions, were dispatched by a rotating committee of three members. A further nine artists were invited to join to bring the group membership of ''Les XX'' to twenty. In addition to the exhibits of its Belgian members, foreign artists were also invited to exhibit. There was a close tie between art, music and literature among the ''Les XX'' artists. During the exhibitions, there were literary lectures and discussions, and performances of new classical music, which from 1888 were organised by

Vincent d'Indy Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy (; 27 March 18512 December 1931) was a French composer and teacher. His influence as a teacher, in particular, was considerable. He was a co-founder of the Schola Cantorum de Paris and also taught at the Pa ...

, with from 1889 until the end in 1893 very frequent performances by the

Quatuor Ysaÿe In music, a quartet (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations of four instruments in chamber music is the string quartet. String quar ...

. Concerts included recently composed music by

Claude Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

Ernest Chausson Amédée-Ernest Chausson (; 20 January 1855 – 10 June 1899) was a French Romantic composer. Life Born in Paris into an affluent bourgeois family, Chausson was the sole surviving child of a building contractor who made his fortune assisting Ba ...

and

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. ...

. Leading exponents of the

Symbolist Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

movement who gave lectures include

Stéphane Mallarmé Stéphane Mallarmé ( , ; ; 18 March 1842 – 9 September 1898), pen name of Étienne Mallarmé, was a French poet and critic. He was a major French Symbolist poet, and his work anticipated and inspired several revolutionary artistic schools o ...

Théodore de Wyzewa Théodore is the French version of the masculine given name Theodore. Given name * Théodore Caruelle d'Aligny (1798–1871), French landscape painter and engraver * Théodore Anne (1892–1917), French playwright, librettist, and novelist * Théo ...

and

Paul Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine ( ; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolism (movement), Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the ''fin de siècle'' ...

. Together with Maus, the influential jurist

Edmond Picard Edmond Picard (15 December 1836 – 19 February 1924) was a Belgian jurist and writer. He was a leading theoretician of antisemitism and racism in Belgium, as well as a champion of Belgian nationalism through his notions of the "Belgian soul" ...

and the Belgian poet

Emile Verhaeren Emile or Émile may refer to: * Émile (novel) (1827), autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life * Emile, Canadian film made in 2003 by Carl Bessai * '' Emile: or, On Education'' (1762) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a treatise o ...

provided the driving force behind an associated periodical, ''

L'Art Moderne ''L'Art Moderne'' was a weekly review of the arts and literature published in Brussels from March 1881 until the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914. It was established by a number of lawyers based in Brussels who felt the need for a r ...

'', which was started in 1881. This publication aggressively defended ''Les XX'' from attacks by critics and members of the visiting public. Picard polemically fomented tensions both with the artistic establishment and within ''Les XX''. By 1887, six of the more conservative original members had left, sometimes under pressure from Picard and Maus, to be replaced by artists who were more sympathetic to the cause. Altogether, ''Les XX'' had 32 members during the ten years of its existence.

Members of Les XX

Founding members (11)

1860–1949 (member until 1893) *

Théo van Rysselberghe Théophile "Théo" van Rysselberghe (23 November 1862 – 13 December 1926) was a Belgian Neo-impressionism, neo-impressionist Painting, painter, who played a pivotal role in the European art scene at the turn of the twentieth century. Bi ...

1862–1926 (member until 1893) *

Fernand Khnopff Fernand Edmond Jean Marie Khnopff (12 September 1858 – 12 November 1921) was a Belgian symbolist painter. Life Youth and training Fernand Khnopff was born to a wealthy family that was part of the high bourgeoisie for generations. Khnopf ...

1858–1921 (member until 1893) *

Alfred William Finch Alfred William (Willy) Finch (1854 –1930) was a Ceramics (art), ceramist and Painting, painter in the Pointillism, pointillist and Neo-Impressionism, Neo-Impressionist style. Born in Brussels to British parents, he spent most of his creati ...

Frantz Charlet __NOTOC__ Frantz Charlet (1862–1928) was a Belgian painter, etcher, and lithographer. Early life and career An Impressionist, he was one of the founding members of the group Les XX. He studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Bruss ...

1862–1928 *

Paul Du Bois Paul Du Bois (; 1859–1938) was a Belgian sculptor and medalist, born in Aywaille, and died in Uccle, a municipality of Brussels (Belgium). Du Bois was a student of Eugène Simonis and Charles van der Stappen. He studied from 1877 to 1 ...

* Charles Goethals c. 1853–85 *

Darío de Regoyos Darío de Regoyos y Valdés (November 1, 1857 – October 29, 1913) was a Spanish people, Spanish painter. He was notable for contributing to "the renewal of modern Spanish painting". A student of Carlos de Haes at the Real Academia de Bellas Ar ...

(Spanish) * Willy Schlobach 1864–1951 * Guillaume Van Strydonck 1861–1937 * Rodolphe Wytsman 1860–1927 Oprichters Les XX

Original invited members (9)

Guillaume Vogels Guillaume Vogels (9 June 1836, in Brussels – 9 January 1896, in Ixelles) was a Belgian Impressionist painter. Life He was the son of a laborer. After his primary education, he was apprenticed to the Bellis Brothers, a house painting an ...

Achille Chainaye Achille Chainaye (26 August 1862 – 20 December 1915) was a Belgians, Belgian sculptor.RKD He was born in Liège. After moving to Brussels to study at the Académie Royale des Beaux-ArtsWallonie-en-ligne.net he became a member of the Groupe ...

1862–1915 *

Jean Delvin Jean-Joseph Delvin (1853 – 1922) was a Belgian painter who specialized in scenes with animals (primarily horses). Life Delvin was born in Ghent. He attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, where he studied under , and worked in the st ...

1853–1922 *

Jef Lambeaux Jef Lambeaux or Josef Lambeaux (14 January 18525 June 1908) was a Belgian sculptor. His best known work is '' Temple of Human Passions'', a colossal marble bas-relief. Early life and education Lambeaux was born in Antwerp, Belgium, on 14 Janua ...

Périclès Pantazis Périclès Pantazis (, ''Periklis Pantazis''; 13 March 1849, Athens25 January 1884, Brussels) was a major Greece, Greek impressionist painter of the 19th century who gained a great reputation as an artist initially in Belgium. Life Pantazis ...

(Greek) 1849–1884 * Frans Simons 1855–1919 *

Gustave Vanaise Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...

1854–1902 * Piet Verhaert 1852–1908 *

Theodoor Verstraete Theodoor Verstraete, also spelled Theodor Verstraete and Théodore Verstraete (5 January 1850 – 8 January 1907) was a Belgian Realist painter and printmaker who is known for his landscapes depicting life in the countryside as well as his paint ...

1851–1907

Later invited members (12)

Félicien Rops Félicien Victor Joseph Rops (; 7 July 1833 – 23 August 1898) was a Belgian artist associated with Symbolism (arts), Symbolism, Decadence, and the Parisian , a member of the Les XX group. He was a painter, illustrator, caricaturist and a proli ...

1833–1898 *

Georges Lemmen Georges Lemmen (1865, Schaerbeek – 1916, Brussels) was a neo-impressionist painter from Belgium. He was a member of Les XX from 1888. His works include ''The Beach at Heist'', ''Aline Marechal'' and ''Vase of Flowers''. Yvonne Serruys studie ...

1865–1916 (member starting 1888) *

George Minne George (Georges) Minne (born ''Georgius Joannes Leonardus Minne''; 30 August 1866 – 18 February 1941) was a Belgians, Belgian artist and sculptor famous for his idealized depictions of man's inner spiritual conflicts, including the "Kneeling ...

1866–1941 *

Anna Boch Anna-Rosalie Boch (10 February 1848 – 25 February 1936), known as Anna, was a Belgium, Belgian Painting, painter, art collector, and the only female member of the artistic group, Les XX. Born in La Louvière, Saint-Vaast, Hainaut Province, Hai ...

1848–1926 (member 1885–1893: only female member) *

Henry van de Velde Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium ...

(member starting 1888) * Guillaume Charlier *

Henry De Groux Henry de Groux (15 September 1866 – 12 January 1930)"Colours of the War: Art Work of Belgian Soldiers at the Front (1914–1918): A Selection of the Collections kept at the Royal Army Museum in Brussels; published 2000; ; page 57 was a Be ...

* Robert Picard (artist) b. 1870 *

Jan Toorop Johannes Theodorus "Jan" TooropJan Toorop
Netherlands Institute for Art History, 2014. Retrieved on 18 February 201 ...

(Dutch) *

Odilon Redon Odilon Redon (born Bertrand Redon; ; 20 April 18406 July 1916) was a French Symbolist painting, Symbolist draftsman, printmaker, and painter. Early in his career, both before and after fighting in the Franco-Prussian War, Redon worked almost exc ...

(French) *

Paul Signac Paul Victor Jules Signac ( , ; 11 November 1863 – 15 August 1935) was a French Neo-Impressionist painter who, with Georges Seurat, helped develop the artistic technique Pointillism. Biography Paul-Victor-Jules Signac was born in Paris on ...

(French) *

Isidore Verheyden Isidore Verheyden (24 January 1846, in Antwerp – 1 November 1905, in Elsene) was a Belgium, Belgian painter of landscapes, portraits and still life. He was the son of painter Jean-François Verheyden; his first teacher at the Académie Roya ...

(member 1884–1888)

The ten Annual Exhibitions of ''Les XX'', 1884–1893

The 1884, 1885 and 1886 exhibitions were held at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. The later exhibitions were all held at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

of Brussels.

1884

The first of ten annual exhibitions was held on 2 February at the '' Palais des Beaux-Arts'' in Brussels. Apart from the members of ''Les XX'', there were exhibitions by

Adriaan Jozef Heymans Adriaan Jozef Heymans (or Adrien-Joseph Heymans; 11 June 1839 in Antwerp – December 1921 in Brussels) was a Belgian impressionist landscape painter. Biography His father was a trader in window-glass, who died when Heymans was only seven. Af ...

Jan Stobbaerts Jan Stobbaerts or Jan-Baptist Stobbaerts (18 March 1838 – 25 November 1914) was a Belgians, Belgian painter and printmaker.

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

James Abbott McNeill Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral a ...

and

Max Liebermann Max Liebermann (20 July 1847 – 8 February 1935) was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany and continental Europe. In addition to his activity as an artist, he also assembled an important ...

Catulle Mendès Catulle Mendès (; 22 May 1841 – 8 February 1909) was a French poet and man of letters. Early life and career Of Portuguese Jewish extraction, Mendès was born in Bordeaux. After childhood and adolescence in Toulouse, he arrived in Paris in 1 ...

discussed

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

1885

Exhibition of

Xavier Mellery Xavier Mellery (9 August 1845, Laken – 4 February 1921, Brussels) was a Belgian symbolist painter. The son of a gardener at the Royal Palace of Laeken, Mellery initially worked with the painter-decorator Charles Albert. He attended the ...

and

Jan Toorop Johannes Theodorus "Jan" TooropJan Toorop
Netherlands Institute for Art History, 2014. Retrieved on 18 February 201 ...

1886

Exhibits of

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French people, French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, fe ...

and

, including ''Le pont d'Argenteuil'' and ''La Manneporte à Étretat''. First performance of

César Franck César Auguste Jean Guillaume Hubert Franck (; 10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher born in present-day Belgium. He was born in Liège (which at the time of h ...

's ''Violon Sonata''.

1887

Walter Sickert Walter Richard Sickert (31 May 1860 – 22 January 1942) was a German-born British painter and printmaker who was a member of the Camden Town Group of Post-Impressionist artists in early 20th-century London. He was an important influence on d ...

Berthe Morisot Berthe Marie Pauline Morisot (; 14 January 1841 – 2 March 1895) was a French painter, printmaker and a member of the circle of painters in Paris who became known as the Impressionists. In 1864, Morisot exhibited for the first time in the ...

and

Georges-Pierre Seurat Georges Pierre Seurat ( , ; ; 2 December 1859 – 29 March 1891) was a French post-Impressionist artist. He devised the painting techniques known as chromoluminarism and pointillism and used conté crayon for drawings on paper with a rough ...

exhibit, with Seurat and Signac present at the opening. The major work shown is Seurat's ''

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte ''A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte'' () was painted from 1884 to 1886 and is Georges Seurat's most famous work. A leading example of pointillist technique, executed on a large canvas, it is a founding work of the neo-impress ...

''. In July, ''Les XX'' had an exhibition in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

The Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

1888

Exhibits of Albert Dubois-Pillet,

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Count, ''Comte'' Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901), known as Toulouse-Lautrec (), was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist, and illustrator whose immersion in the colour ...

Henri-Edmond Cross Henri-Edmond Cross (; 20 May 1856 – 16 May 1910), born Henri-Edmond-Joseph Delacroix (), was a French painter and printmaker. He is most acclaimed as a master of Neo-Impressionism and he played an important role in shaping the second phase ...

and

. First performance of

's ''Poème des Montagnes''.

Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam Jean-Marie-Mathias-Philippe-Auguste, comte de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (7 November 1838 – 19 August 1889) was a French symbolist writer. His family called him Mathias while his friends called him Villiers; he would also use the name Auguste w ...

was one of the invited writers.

1889

Maximilien Luce Maximilien Luce (; 13 March 1858 – 6 February 1941) was a French Neo-impressionist artist, known for his paintings, graphic art and his anarchist activism. Starting as a wood-engraver, he subsequently concentrated on painting, first as a ...

Gustave Caillebotte Gustave Caillebotte (; 19 August 1848 – 21 February 1894) was a French painter who was a member and patron of the Impressionists, although he painted in a more Realism (arts), realistic manner than many others in the group. Caillebotte was kno ...

, Albert Dubois-Pillet,

and

exhibit. Included is Gauguin's masterpiece '' Vision After the Sermon''. At the first concert, the music was composed by

, Pierre de Bréville,

and

Julien Tiersot Julien Tiersot (5 July 1857 in Bourg-en-Bresse (Rhône-Alpes) – 10 August 1936 in Paris), was a French musicologist, composer and a pioneer in ethnomusicology. Biography Tiersot was first keenly interested in popular French music, on which h ...

. The music was played in part by the

, as happened in the next few years. The second concert was centered on Gabriel Fauré, with additional music by d'Indy,

Charles Bordes Anne-Marie Charles Bordes-Bonjean (12 May 1863 – 8 November 1909) was a French music teacher and composer. Timeline Bordes was born in La Roche-Corbon, Indre-et-Loire. He studied pianoforte with Antoine François Marmontel and composition wit ...

and Henri Duparc. In July, ''Les XX'' had an exhibition in

1890

Exhibits by invited artists including

Alfred Sisley Alfred Sisley (; ; 30 October 1839 – 29 January 1899) was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedic ...

and

. During the 1890 expo Vincent van Gogh exhibited six paintings and sold ''

The Red Vineyard ''The Red Vineyards near Arles'' is an oil painting by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, executed on a privately primed Toile de 30 piece of burlap in early November 1888. It depicts workers in a vineyard, and it is the only painting known b ...

'', the most significant painting he sold during his lifetime (bought by fellow artist and 1890 exhibitor Anna Boch, whose brother Eugene Van Gogh rendered in his famous 1888 painting 'The Poet'.) . Three concerts were given, with the first centered on Belgian composers like

Auguste Dupont Auguste Dupont, full name Pierre-Auguste Dupont, (9 February 1827 - 17 December 1890) was a Belgian pianist and composer. A laureate of the Royal Conservatory of Liège, where he was a student of Jules Jalheau, he travelled for a time as a musi ...

, Léon Soubre, Joseph Jacob,

Paul Gilson Paul Gilson (Brussels, 15 June 1865 – Brussels, 3 April 1942) was a Belgian musician and composer. Biography Paul Gilson was born in Brussels. In 1866, his family moved to Ruisbroek in the Belgian province of Brabant. There he studied th ...

and Gustave Huberti. The second and third concert focused on the French composers, with works by Fauré, Franck, d'Indy, and Castillon in the second concert.

performed his ''Symphonie Cévenole'' in the third concert. Other composers whose work was performed were Fauré, Franck, Bréville, Bordes, Chausson,

Albéric Magnard Lucien Denis Gabriel Albéric Magnard (; 9 June 1865 – 3 September 1914) was a French composer, somewhat influenced by César Franck and Vincent d'Indy. Magnard became a national hero in 1914 when he refused to surrender his property to German ...

and

Paul Vidal Paul Antonin Vidal (16 June 1863 – 9 April 1931) was a French composer, conductor and music teacher mainly active in Paris.Charlton D. Paul Vidal. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, 1997. Life and caree ...

gave a lecture on

;

discusses

Maurice Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count/Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the 1911 Nobel Prize in ...

and

Charles Van Lerberghe Charles van Lerberghe (21 October 1861 – 26 October 1907) was a Belgians, Belgian author who wrote in French language, French and was particularly identified with the Symbolism (movement), Symbolist movement. The growing atheism and anticlerica ...

1891

Exhibitions of

, and

Jules Chéret Jules Chéret (31 May 1836 – 23 September 1932) was a French painter and lithographer who became a master of ''Belle Époque'' poster art. He has been called the father of the modern poster. Early life and career Born in Paris to a poor bu ...

. First exhibitions of decorative art, including posters and book illustrations by

Walter Crane Walter Crane (15 August 184514 March 1915) was an English artist and book illustrator. He is considered to be the most influential, and among the most prolific, children's book creators of his generation and, along with Randolph Caldecott and Ka ...

's first attempts at ceramics, and three vases and a statue by

. Retrospective for

. Catalogue cover designed by

. Memorial concert for

and a second concert with new work by

, and work by other followers of Franck, including Bordes, Duparc, Bréville, Chausson, Tiersot, Vidal, and Camille Benoît. Also played was work by Fauré and

Emmanuel Chabrier Alexis-Emmanuel Chabrier (; 18 January 184113 September 1894) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and pianist. His Bourgeoisie, bourgeois family did not approve of a musical career for him, and he studied law in Paris and then worked ...

. A third concert focused on Russian composers, with works by

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...

Alexander Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (12 November 183327 February 1887) was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was one of the prominent 19th-century composers known as " The Five", a group dedicated to prod ...

Nikolai Shcherbachov Nikolai Vladimirovich Shcherbachov (in Cyrillic, Никола́й Влади́мирович Щербачёв; 12 August ( N.S. 24 August) 1853 – 1 October 1922) was a Russian composer and pianist. Born in St. Petersburg, Shcherbachov was an un ...

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov. At the time, his name was spelled , which he romanized as Nicolas Rimsky-Korsakow; the BGN/PCGN transliteration of Russian is used for his name here; ALA-LC system: , ISO 9 system: .. (18 March 1844 – 2 ...

and Alexander Kopylov.

1892

Pottery exhibited by Auguste Delaherche, and embroidery designs by

Henry Van de Velde Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium ...

. Invited artists include

Léo Gausson Léo Gausson (14 February 1860 – 27 October 1944) was a French landscape painter in the Neo-impressionism, Neo-impressionist and Synthetism, Synthetic styles. He was also a printmaker and sculptor. Biography He was born in Lagny-sur-Marne. He ...

and

Mary Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side (Pittsburgh), North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, whe ...

. Retrospective of

with 18 paintings, including ''La Cirque'' and ''La Parade''. Three concert evenings were organised. The first concert presented the first version of

's ''La Mer'',

Guillaume Lekeu Jean Joseph Nicolas Guillaume Lekeu (; 20 January 1870 – 21 January 1894) was a Belgian composer. Life Lekeu was born in Heusy, a village near Verviers, Belgium. He originally studied piano and music theory under Alphonse Voss, the director ...

's ''Andromède'' and music by

Alexander Glazunov Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov ( – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 and 1928 and was instrumental i ...

, and

Franz Servais Franz Servais (1 March 1880 – 31 January 1966) was a Luxembourgish writer. His work was part of the literature event in the art competition at the 1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Ol ...

. The second showcased music by Alexis de Castillon,

Louis de Serres Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also * ...

and

. The final concert included the first performance of

's ''Suite in D'' and

's ''Concert''. The other music played was composed by

, Charles Bordes,

Camille Chevillard Paul Alexandre Camille Chevillard (14 October 1859 – 30 May 1923) was a French composer and conductor. Biography According to ''Musiciens français d'Aujourd'hui'', Camille Chevillard was the son of the famous cellist and composer , who tau ...

and

1893

More design was exhibited, including a table by

, embroidery by

, and objects by

Alexandre Charpentier Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier (1856–1909) was a French sculptor, medalist, craftsman, and cabinet-maker. Life and work From working-class origins and apprenticed to an engraver as a young man, he became a studio assistant to the innov ...

discussed the contemporary poetry. The first concert was centered on work by César Franck and the first performance of

's ''Poème de l'amour et la mer'' The second concert contained works by d'Indy, Castillon, Fauré, Chabrier and Bréville. The third and final concert featured the première of

's ''Violin Sonata'', with also performances of compositions by Charles Smulders,

, Dorsan van Reysschoot and Alexis de Castillon.

Notes

External links

Biografisch Lexicon: Plastisch Kunst in België
{{DEFAULTSORT:XX, Les Belgian artist groups and collectives 19th-century art groups 1883 establishments in Belgium 1893 disestablishments in Belgium Art exhibitions in Belgium Belgian art movements