MDD presents ‘Herinnering aan een Zomer aan de Leie’, an exhibition about art, friendship and innovation along the banks of the Lys in the 1920s.

In the years leading up to the First World War, the first friendships began to form between artists such as Gust De Smet, Frits Van den Berghe, and Constant Permeke. They met through the young art promoter Paul-Gustave Van Hecke, who also introduced them to the critic André De Ridder. During the harsh Ghent winters, they worked in modest studios in the Patershol; in summer, they would head to the picturesque banks of the Lys, where symbolist artists like Claus and Van de Woestyne had found inspiration before them.

The painting Herinnering aan een Zondag (1926) by Edgard Tytgat forms the starting point of this exhibition. Tytgat portrays a summer afternoon on the Lys, populated by a colourful group: Frits Van den Berghe, Gust and Léon De Smet, Marc Chagall, Blanche Charlet, Floris Jespers, and many others. Some are clearly recognisable, others linger in enigmatic anonymity. The scene radiates nostalgia, camaraderie, and creative freedom.

Tytgat’s work serves as a visual anchor in this exhibition – a poetic snapshot of a generation of artists, collectors, and critics connected to the Brussels galleries Sélection and Le Centaure. The figures in the painting refer anecdotally to the artistic circle around Van Hecke, De Ridder, and Schwarzenberger. Who is who, however, remains partly cloaked in mystery. Art critic Paul Haesaerts was the first to attempt identification – but above all, let yourself be carried away. Look, search, dream, and let this summer afternoon on the Lys come back to life.

Herinnering aan een Zomer aan de Leie
​18.05.25—17.08.25

Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens
​Museumlaan 14
​9831 Deurle

Artists

Curator: Nele Coene

A New Wave on the Lys

The war forced many to flee to neutral countries such as the Netherlands or the United Kingdom. There, a fertile exchange of ideas and styles took place. Upon their return to Belgium, these connections blossomed into a vibrant network of innovators. With support from progressive galleries like Sélection and Le Centaure, a new and distinctive visual language emerged in the 1920s: rooted in Flemish tradition, yet open to the international avant-garde.

What began as chance encounters evolved during the interwar years into a close-knit community. Artists such as De Smet, Van den Berghe, Permeke, and Tytgat sought renewal together, and found it in their shared love of landscape, life, and art.

The Lys as a Gathering Place

The summers along the Lys formed the beating heart of this artistic movement. Villa Malpertuis in Afsnee – owned by Van Hecke and fashion designer Honorine “Norine” Deschrijver – became a center of creativity. During boat trips, dinners under the trees, and conversations by the water, artists, writers, and collectors came together.

The painting Herinnering aan een Zondag (1926) by Edgard Tytgat is the starting point of this exhibition. Tytgat depicts a summer afternoon on the Lys, populated by a colourful company: Frits Van den Berghe, Gust and Léon De Smet, Marc Chagall, Blanche Charlet, Floris Jespers, and many others. Some are easily identifiable, others veiled in enigmatic anonymity. The scene radiates nostalgia, camaraderie, and creative freedom.

Between Countryside and Avant-Garde

The artists of the Lys drew inspiration from rural life – villages, markets, country fairs – yet they were far from provincial. Thanks to Van Hecke and De Ridder, they maintained direct contact with the international art scene. Galleries like Sélection (1920–1922) and Le Centaure in Brussels offered not only exhibition space, but also a place for meeting and exchange. A striking example is the celebratory meal on 20 June 1926, under the trees of the rectory De Groene Boomgaard in Drongen. Beautiful photographs of this gathering have been preserved. Edgard Tytgat captured the atmosphere in his painting, in which many artists can be recognised.

A Summer Tableau: The Network in Focus

At the back of the boat sits Marc Chagall, together with his wife. The Russian artist was a guest at Villa Malpertuis, invited by Paul-Gustave Van Hecke and André De Ridder. In the following years, Chagall would exhibit several times at Le Centaure, alongside Flemish artists such as Frits Van den Berghe, Edgard Tytgat, Gust De Smet, and Hippolyte Daeye, and in the company of international figures like Klee, Arp, Kandinsky, and Miró.

At the center of the painting we see Gust De Smet, bow in hand. His brother Léon steers the boat, with his wife by his side. Gust returned to the Lys after the war, where Van Hecke provided him with accommodation at Malpertuis. He lived there for several years with Van den Berghe. In April 1926, he exhibited new work at Le Centaure, still in its original location on the Museumplein. A year later, he settled permanently along the Lys. Léon was already living in Brussels by then but often returned to the river during the summer. In November 1926, he would exhibit at the new gallery on Avenue Louise.

At the front of the boat sits Frits Van den Berghe, recognizable by his glasses. In the early 1920s, he found inspiration in rural life. His expressive, often caricature-like style features bulky figures, village scenes, and Sunday calm. He painted in series, with themes such as Flemish houses, Lys landscapes, and summer afternoons – often visually aligned with his housemate Gust De Smet. The summer of 1926 marked a turning point: from 1927 onwards, his work shifted toward symbolism.

Next to him, we see Floris Jespers in conversation. Jespers came from an Antwerp artistic family; his father Emile was a painter, his brother Oscar a sculptor. In these years, Floris built a reputation as a painter with a unique style, and was active within the Sélection and Le Centaure network.

On the riverbank, Paul-Gustave Van Hecke welcomes his guests, accompanied by the small dachshund that followed him and his partner Norine everywhere. Norine, depicted in the painting with a mirror in hand, was more than a fashion designer: together with Van Hecke, she founded Couture Norine in 1914, on Avenue Louise in Brussels. The couture house became a meeting point for the avant-garde and was closely linked to the Sélection and Le Centaure network.

At the edge of the boat, Blanche Charlet steps ashore. A gallery owner and central figure in the Brussels art world, she opened her own gallery on Avenue Louise in the early 1920s. In 1926, she joined Le Centaure, which she would develop with Walter Schwarzenberger into an international hub. During the Second World War, Charlet became active in the resistance, where she spied for the United Kingdom.

We see Hippolyte Daeye helping her on board. During his exile in London, he became acquainted with Permeke, Léon De Smet, and Tytgat. From his studio in Antwerp, he joined the Sélection network in the 1920s and exhibited regularly with the group.

Edgard Tytgat, the painter himself, observes the scene from a window. Although he came from the Brussels art milieu, he felt a strong connection to the circle around Van Hecke and De Ridder. Tytgat was known for his narrative, often folkloric scenes full of lightness and irony – exactly what he captured here.

The young Hubert Malfait, from Astene, is also present. In 1924, he joined the group and considered himself the spiritual heir of Gust De Smet. In the years that followed, he would move to Paris, where he encountered Chagall again. Along with artists like Jules De Sutter, he represented the younger generation within Flemish Expressionism.

Noticeably absent is Constant Permeke. Together with De Smet and Van den Berghe, he was later described as the ‘Divine Trinity’ of Flemish expressionism. Although he was a frequent guest on the Leie in the 1920s and maintained a close friendship with both artists, Permeke maintained his independence. He did not sign a contract with Van Hecke and Sélection, and eventually settled in Jabbeke.