KBR adds a new drawing by Léon Spilliaert (1881-1946) to its collection. The work was recently acquired by the King Baudouin Foundation thanks to the support of the Marie-Jeanne Dauchy Fund. The unique drawing has now been entrusted to KBR’s Print Room, where it will be made available to the public.
A unique testimony from Spilliaert’s early years
The newly acquired drawing was produced in 1907 as the first cover design for Le Sculpteur de masques, a play by Belgian writer Fernand Crommelynck (1886-1970). The work dates from Spilliaert’s early years, and its expressionistic mood and sombre beauty are typical of his early, ‘black’ period. The play Le Sculpteur de masques was published the same year by Brussels publisher Edmond Deman (1857-1918), who was not won over by Spilliaert’s design, so the illustration commission was never realised. The original design in KBR is therefore a unique testament to Spilliaert’s early struggles as a book illustrator. A second, unrealised design by Spilliaert for Le Sculpteur de masques is preserved in the Museum of Ixelles.
Léon Spilliaert, autodidact
The eldest of seven children, Léon Spilliaert was born in Ostend, where his father ran a perfumery. From childhood, the young Spilliaert showed an interest in art and drawing, but he never followed a formal academic education. An auto-didact, he chose his own path and developed his own melancholy style. Spilliaert is recognised today as one of the most influential Belgian artists of the early 20th century.
The Spilliaert collection at the KBR
The design sketch for Le Sculpteur de masques is part of the impressive Spilliaert collection at KBR, which, with more than 150 drawings, boasts the largest public collection of his work.
Most of these drawings were produced in India ink, some of which were coloured. The drawings reflect Spilliaert’s interest in literary symbolism, his sharp eye on the world and social problems of the time, but just as much his familiar family atmosphere. The works reveal the artist’s spiritual search and drive to experiment.
