Van Herck–Eykelberg Gallery presents an exceptional dialogue between James Ensor and Léon Spilliaert at TEFAF Maastricht 2026
Antwerp based Van Herck – Eykelberg Gallery will participate for the first time in TEFAF Maastricht (March 14 – 19, 2026) with an unprecedented dialogue between Léon Spilliaert and James Ensor. This presentation is accompanied by a specially published catalogue, which places the works in their historical and artistic context.
For its first participation in TEFAF, Van Herck – Eykelberg Gallery was selected for the Showcase section, reserved for young galleries with a distinct vision and museum quality. The gallery is seizing this opportunity to present an exceptional, rarely seen duo presentation of James Ensor and Léon Spilliaert — two key figures in Belgian modernity, who historically overlap but artistically reveal reality and the inner self in very different ways.
The compact 12 m² space is fully utilized to enable a concentrated and sharply defined confrontation: an Ensor still life next to a Spilliaert still life offers the opportunity to see both the similarities and contrasts between these two masters.
Léon Spilliaert – Lady with Pince-Nez (1907)
The large-scale and iconic work Lady with Pince-Nez forms the centerpiece of the presentation. The portrait shows an unknown woman who radiates both autonomy and mystery.
The body and dress of the sitter are depicted as a shapeless mass that spreads across the chair and the room. The dark mass absorbs almost the entire image, with only one side of the face, the brooch, and one hand emerging as points of light in the composition. The almost abstract treatment of the human form takes the viewer into an inner world of feelings and emotions related to human existentialism. Due to its size and subject matter, Lady with Pince-Nez is a unique work within Léon Spillaert's oeuvre.
The dark color palette is characteristic of the artist's most prolific period at the end of the first decade of the 20th century. Recurring themes include nocturnal landscapes and seascapes, as well as strange portraits of the artist himself and of women, often depicted from behind or in existential isolation. In terms of portraits, Spilliaert's oeuvre is characterized by a consistent fascination with people's inner emotional landscape.
Dr. Anne Adriaens-Pannier—author of the forthcoming catalogue raisonné on Léon Spilliaert—and Dr. Noémie Goldman write in the catalog of the exhibition “Léon Spilliaert” at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 2020: “As a counterpart to his own image, he created a female figure with piercing eyes. From this idea of femininity – which seems to have undergone a psychological transformation since the first symbolist representations – a silent apparition emerged, full of self-confidence and a desire for independence.”
Ensor, with his exuberant use of color and playful, almost theatrical arrangements of objects.
Spilliaert, with his dark, introspective psychological portraits in which silence and existential tension take center stage.
This presentation offers an excellent opportunity for collectors, curators, and researchers to directly compare two artists who are rarely shown together.
James Ensor – Still life with lantern and vegetables
James Ensor often used objects from his studio for his still lifes, the best-known example being the masks sold in his parents' souvenir shop in Ostend, but also everyday objects such as vegetables, glasses, or flowers. Still life was not only an important genre within Ensor's oeuvre, it was also the genre in which the artist fully expressed his colorful palette.
At TEFAF, the gallery is also showing one of the most refined Ensor still lifes from a private collection, a work that demonstrates the full richness of Ensor's color palette. When Ensor painted still lifes, he staged the composition and arranged the various objects in search of a striking balance between the colors. Composing the composition in real life was like a puppet show in which each of the objects—and their colors—played a role.
In Still Life with Lantern and Vegetables, the unexpected combination of objects, the warm light, and the striking attention to form—such as the whimsical structure of the red cabbage, a favorite of Ensor's—underscore his mastery of this genre, which he himself considered the foundation of his artistry.
Dr. Herwig Todts, honorary curator of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, writes in his book James Ensor, Occasional Modernist. Ensor's Artistic and Social Ideas and the Interpretation of his Art: "Over the course of 60 years, Ensor painted more than 230 still lifes, accounting for a third of his painted oeuvre. With the exception of a brief interruption around 1885/88, he painted at least one still life per year. He considered still lifes to be the most important artistic genre and the ‘touchstone of the true colorist".
An international step for Ensor
Following the national success of the Belgian Ensor Year in 2024, Van Herck – Eykelberg Gallery is now bringing the artist to an international stage of the highest level: TEFAF Maastricht, where top collectors, curators, and museums from around the world are present. This presentation enhances the international visibility of Ensor and the gallery itself.
Publication
The dual presentation is accompanied by a specially published book, which places the works in their historical and artistic context. The publication—produced in consultation with Ensor specialist Xavier Tricot—explores the parallels and differences between Ensor and Spilliaert and substantiates the museum relevance of the presentation on the basis of new research and recent insights.
Practical information
TEFAF Maastricht 2026
14 – 19 March 2026, Maastricht
Showcase-section – stand SC6
Contact
Van Herck – Eykelberg Gallery, Antwerp
Visits on appointment
https://www.van-herck.com/en/about/
Images (© We Document Art)
For additional images or further information, please contact
Micha Pycke
Club Paradis
micha@clubparadis.be
+32 (0)486 680 070
About Van Herck – Eykelberg Gallery
Van Herck – Eykelberg Gallery is located in Antwerp and specialises in paintings, sculptures and works on paper from European modernism — from symbolism, surrealism and expressionism to ZERO and CoBrA. The gallery focuses strongly on Belgian artists who played a key role within these movements, and also contributes to museum acquisitions and academic art research.
The Van Herck family has been active in the art trade since the mid-19th century. Previous generations built up extensive collections, parts of which were housed at the King Baudouin Foundation. Today, Eduard Eykelberg continues this tradition with an international, contemporary approach that focuses on quality, historical insight and personal guidance.