Léon Spilliaert

Long before other public institutions, the curators of the Royal Library of Belgium were fascinated by the work of Léon Spilliaert (1881-1946) and wanted to add works from him to their collections. About ten years after the death of the artist, contact was made with his widow Rachel Spilliaert-Vergison and the KBR bought a first group of drawings. Most of those drawings had been made in Indian ink; some of them had been colored. The drawings reflect Spilliaert's interest in literary symbolism, his sharp view of the world and the social problems at the time, but also his familiar family atmosphere. The KBR purchased more than 150 modestly sized works in three years, clearly showing the spiritual quest and the experimentation of the artist. This overview catalog of the largest collection of graphic work by Spilliaert tells the story of a unique collection and shows several examples of extraordinary engravings, lithographs and original book illustrations. Exhibition: Venetian Galleries, Ostend, Belgium (30.06.-30.09.2018).